Jones, Elvin: Puttin' It Together (Blue Note Classics) LP

Elvin Jones' 1968 Blue Note debut Puttin' It Together marked the start of a new chapter in the master drummer's career. Following his six years with the seminal John Coltrane Quartet, and Coltrane's death in 1967, Jones signed with Blue Note and began a run of 10 impressive and wide-ranging albums that established his own legacy as a bandleader. Puttin' It Together found Jones in a trio with bassist Jimmy Garrison and multi-instrumentalist Joe Farrell, who is heard on tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute, and piccolo. The spare format let Farrell embark on fantastic solo flights in a lively three-way dialogue between the musicians with highlights including the enticing Brazilian tune "Reza," Garrison's playful "Sweet Little Maia," and Jones' rollicking dedication to his wife "Keiko's Birthday March."