Jazz label Blue Note has a special Classic Vinyl Reissue Series, which will release Puttin’ It Together, the debut album for the label from 1968 by drummer and jazz legend Elvin Jones. The release date is set for October 17, 2025.
As the official press release notes, Puttin’ It Together marked the start of a new chapter in the legendary drummer’s career following his six years with the seminal John Coltrane Quartet, and Coltrane’s death in 1967. The spare trio album found Jones engaged in a three-way dialog with bassist Jimmy Garrison and multi-instrumentalist Joe Farrell.
In a 2002 interview with Jazz Times, Jones reflected on his discography and some of his favorite releases. He explained how he’s always been partial to Puttin’ It Together: “I like them all but with my schedule I just don’t have time to sit and realize what I’ve done, one record compared to the others…But there are two or three I especially like. I like the first one I did on Blue Note — Puttin’ It Together [1968] — with the trio of me, Joe Farrell, and Jimmy Garrison. I always liked that.”
In that same interview, Jones also reflected on his approach to playing the drums, a style that reverberates through classic albums like Puttin’ It Together. He explained: “The only thing I can think of is that when I play the drums, I try to play them as an instrument. I’m not trying to play in only one style. I just try and interpret the music as it comes. I could play, if I wanted to, in a rock ‘n’ roll band. I’d play drums…but I’m not going to play the guitar or anything like that.”
You can pre-order the release here.
