David R Posted May 2, 2004 Share Posted May 2, 2004 Saw this on Len Dobbin's page on Upstairs ' website. Not good. [Larry Apfelbaum] saw Elvin [April 26th] at Yoshi's here in San Francisco. He could barely make it to the stage, his wife helping him sit and placing his sticks in his hand. Elvin had trouble hitting the drums but his time and sound was impeccable. His wife made an announcement that Elvin was obviously very sick and has been in the hospital for 3 months and she wanted him to spend his last moments, at his wish, behind the drums. He looked like he weighed 75 pounds and was truly sick... it was one of the saddest moments of my life. I was so used to seeing him look fit, happy and powerful. The last number was announced, Dear Lord, and his wife asked us all to pray as she hugged him from behind the drums for the entire tune.There's another article on the website from an unidentified doctor who went to the same show and was pretty sold on the fact that Elvin was/is dying of heart failure. I hope this is just a bump in the road and he can recover. He's booked to play the Montreal Jazz Fest July 1. Please send all your good thoughts and well wishes towards this living legend of music. He is in mine. David My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrummerCafe Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 This is being circulated around to all the forums and has yet to actually be confirmed. I'm not saying that it's bogus, but I am suggesting that I have ONLY heard this story from this ONE account ... seeing Elvin at Yoshi's. If it's true, then I would think that more than ONE person would be posting or reporting about it. Rumors are a nasty thing. But we'll never know unless someone comes up with more evidence to support or discount this report. Drummer Cafe - community drum & percussion forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 3, 2004 Author Share Posted May 3, 2004 Bart, I understand your reasoning. Normally I wouldn't post something like this without confirmation. However, Len Dobbin has been involved in jazz journalism for decades (I believe since the 50s) and is quite reputable. If he felt it was legit enough to post on his own webpage (affiliated with the premier jazz club in Montreal no less), I figure he knows more than I do. There is no malice intended in my spreading of this. If it turns out to be false, then I'll admit I am naive and gullible. David My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Compact Diss Posted May 19, 2004 Share Posted May 19, 2004 from JazzTimes.com Elvin Jones: Alive & Recovering Date: May 5, 2004 Written By: Christopher Porter -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Weve received dozens of e-mails claiming that Elvin Jones (pictured) was dying and/or deadall because of an e-mail sent to various places by Len Dobbin. Most of the e-mails addressed to JazzTimes about Jones were tinged with sadness, but some were filled with odd vitriol toward us for not immediately dignifying an unsubstantiated rumor that flew around Internet chat rooms and list-serves with the speed of the recent Sasser virus. Here was Lee Ann Carpenters charming note: Elvin is dying and all you can write about is Diana Krall's tour schedule? Excuse me, but aren't you guys going to choke on all the fluff you produce? After JazzTimes cleared its collective throat and put down Kenny Gs summer concert itinerary, we contacted Adam Mansbach to set the record straight. Mansbach is the co-author of Elvin Jones' forthcoming memoirs, Different Drummer (Da Capo). He agreed to have his response to our inquiry printed at JazzTimes.com because, he writes, I know [the rumors] are quite disturbing to Elvin and [his wife] Keiko. I just called Keiko after reading your email. Elvin is alive and recuperating. I was at Yoshi's with him all week, and while he was weak and has lost weight (and had difficulty playing at some points), the whole experience was, for me, tremendously uplifting: To see him walk onstage with an oxygen tank and proceed to not only play an entire set, but also an amazing fifteen-minute solo while the room was being cleared (as he did on two of the nights) was truly inspiring. Set by set, there was a lot of variation in terms of Elvin's strength -- largely due to whether or not he had the oxygen with him, which he only did about half the time. A lot of the reports circulating have seemingly been from people who only saw one set and thus didn't really get a full picture. Elvin is certainly in very grave condition, but he's still full of tremendous love -- for the music and for life -- and that, along with his many friends and loved ones, seems to be keeping him going. --Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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