John Coltrane (tenor sax), McCoy Tyner (piano), Jimmy Garrison (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums). From the album Crescent (1964).
The drums is a percussion musical instrument composed of drums and cymbals played by a single person. It’s played sitting down, using drumsticks or brushes and operating the pedals. It can carry other elements, such as cowbells, tambourines, bongos, congas, Chinese boxes and octoban. It is used in pop music, blues, jazz, rock and heavy metal. Its drums are: the bass drum, the snare drum, the tom-tom drums and the floor toms. And its cymbals are: the crash cymbal, the ride cymbal, the splash cymbal, the China cymbal, the crash/ride cymbal and the hi-hat cymbals. There are also special effects cymbals. Although all drums have these elementary components, it’s the musician’s own taste that determines how a drums is one way or another.
There are drums coming from far away. Coltrane comes in with an enigmatic melody. Only the two of them play: Jones and Coltrane. Jones is left alone playing the drums freely, without a established pattern. He increases the volume and speed of his strokes. He has no definit rhythm, he plays what his creativity dictates. He continues without interruption exploring all possibilities. The sound mixes in a whirlwind. Then the volume of the interpretation goes down. Coltrane comes back as enigmatically as before and Garrison joins them with the double bass until a sudden end comes.
© Impulse! Records
