Elvin Jones & Richard Davis – Heavy Sounds – 180 Gram Vinyl Record

Description

Elvin Jones & Richard Davis – Heavy Sounds – 180 Gram Vinyl Record

Heavy Sounds began almost by accident. When guitarist Larry Coryell did not appear for a planned 1967 trio session, drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Richard Davis recorded an extended duet on “Summertime.” Producer Bob Thiele then brought them back with tenor saxophonist Frank Foster and pianist Billy Greene, creating an Impulse! album whose unusual structure became its strength.

“Raunchy Rita” opens with Foster’s muscular tenor over a rhythm team capable of enormous force without heaviness. “Shiny Stockings” connects the session to Foster’s Count Basie writing, while Greene’s brief “M.E.” provides a compact change of scale before the record’s most exploratory performance.

The eleven-minute “Summertime” is the core: just Davis and Jones, melody and rhythm continuously exchanging roles. Davis can bow, sing, or anchor; Jones treats the drum kit as a melodic instrument. Their empathy turns a standard into a spontaneous suite without relying on a conventional soloist-accompanist hierarchy.

“Elvin’s Guitar Blues” reveals Jones on acoustic guitar, a deliberately plainspoken interlude rooted in early blues memory. “Here’s That Rainy Day” reunites the quartet for a spacious closing performance. The album moves through advanced hard bop, duet improvisation, blues, and ballad language while retaining a coherent late-night atmosphere.

This Verve By Request edition is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Third Man Pressing and contains the complete six-track album. UPC 602465225969 distinguishes it from the earlier Acoustic Sounds pressing in Round Flat’s catalog.

Brand new, never played and still sealed in the factory plastic

Track Listing

1. Raunchy Rita

2. Shiny Stockings

3. M.E.

4. Summertime

5. Elvin’s Guitar Blues

6. Here’s That Rainy Day