October 1, 2006

Listening Post: Minions Dominion (Troubadour)
Buffalo News

A landmark in jazz history, not because it's a good, solidly swinging disc by the trombone playing brother of Wynton and Branford but because it's the final disc with horns made by the
great jazz drum titan Elvin Jones. It is literally true that these performances were recorded a scant couple weeks before Jones' death. There is, nevertheless, not even the whisper of a sense of diminishing ability -- just a 74-year-old drum master whose chattering triplets and orchestral barrages around the pulse are invariably among the greatest excitements ever created by a jazz drummer.

Because so many of Marsalis' tunes are in the rough and ready post-bop style of the '50s and '60s, Elvin's final disc with horns couldn't have been more at home. Tragically, he sounds wonderful. But Marsalis is good, too (listen to HIS triplets) and even better are alto saxophonist Donald Harrison and, on a couple tunes, brother Branford.

Review: 3 1/2 stars (J.S.)

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