Steve Griggs - Reviews

Jones for Elvin - Volume 2

Seattle Post-Intelligencer - Monday, April 10, 2000

By ROBERTA PENN

Drummer Elvin Jones, whose work with John Coltrane redefined the role of the rhythm keeper in jazz, has recorded twice in Seattle. In 1965, the Coltrane Sextet played a 2 1/2-hour set at the now-defunct Penthouse. In 1994, the date was released as a two-CD set, "Live in Seattle," stirring up memories of a wild night for the then teenage trumpeter Jay Thomas and drummer Gregg Keplinger, who still are active on the Seattle scene. But that night they hid in the coatroom during the performance because they were too young to be in a nightclub.

Jones' second recording date here was three days in May 1998 at Bear Creek Studio with the Steve Griggs Quintet. Those dates created new experiences for Thomas, who played on the session, and Keplinger, who helped arrange it. But the two CDs that resulted from the studio work have most affected Griggs, a classically trained saxophonist who settled in Seattle in 1993.

"My son was about to be born and I wanted to get some music on tape before fatherhood kicked in," Griggs explained. "I wanted to take some of my favorite Seattle compatriots into the studio to record my newer compositions. Elvin was coming to town so I asked guitarist Milo Petersen if he wanted to record with Elvin. He told Gregg Keplinger about the idea and Gregg mentioned it to Elvin when he arrived in Seattle. Elvin liked the idea and tacked three days on the end of his West Coast tour to record with us."

As the recording dates approached, Petersen was a nervous wreck, Keplinger was a bundle of energy, but Griggs, who has a day job managing software analysts and developers at Immunex Corp., was quiet and efficient. The sessions were well-organized yet relaxed and Griggs knew he was in the presence of greatness, but didn't let it detract from his mission. "I was in the deepest water and just enjoying the feel of it instead of worrying about drowning," Griggs recalled. "I trusted everyone involved, including myself. Once we started playing, I let myself bask in the warmth of Elvin's sound and let my heart sing. Elvin's presence was very calming to me, and he was very supportive and easygoing yet he is a powerful force. Going to sleep each night was not easy because the whole thing felt rather surreal."

The first CD from the session, "Jones for Elvin," was released last year to critical acclaim and garnered radio airplay around the country. The second CD, "Jones for Elvin Vol. 2," comes out this week and Griggs will celebrate with release parties at Tula's, the Still Life, Crossroads Shopping Center and Jazz Alley.

Joining him for the gigs are members of the recording band, Thomas, Petersen and bassist Phil Sparks, but Jones' schedule is too busy to allow him to join them. Chicago drummer and music educator Jeff Stitley, a longtime friend to Griggs and a collaborator on other projects, will play with the quintet.

Though his degree is in classical music performance, Griggs has been playing jazz since he was 15 and produced his first recording at age 24. After graduating from college, he moved back to his birthplace, New York City. He has worked with notable jazz players such as David Liebman and Cindy Blackman and has published transcriptions of David Murray and Steve Lacy saxophone solos in Down Beat magazine.

But unlike some educated players, Griggs neither showboats nor intellectualizes during performance. On the "Jones for Elvin" recordings, his saxophone tone is warm and inviting, sometimes as smoky and intoxicating as an opium den. Other times it is lucid and airy, almost transparent, as if a spirit's breath was blowing through his instrument. While not a copy of Coltrane's style, Griggs' playing is imbued with a meditative presence. It is an expression of how he feels about jazz, though he also is appreciative of his classical training. "For me, performing classical music was very much about technique. It helped build a strong foundation for my tone, fingers, and practice discipline," Griggs said. "Jazz takes me to a place where my heart and mind are comfortable to express themselves in a more social environment. For me, the process of playing jazz involves being very present with myself and the other creative forces around me."

Griggs is also an inspired composer. With the exception of three tunes, the compositions on both "Jones for Elvin" releases were written by him. As in the recording setting, Jones was a powerful force in his writing process. "Songs like 'Reunion Dues,' 'Jones for Elvin,' 'Zones for Elvin' were definitely written with Elvin in mind. The others were written for other reasons but I love Elvin's sound so much that it's always present as I write, Griggs said. "I notate melodies, chords, rhythmic hits and sometimes bass parts and voicings, but never drum parts. I usually imagine that whatever Elvin would do would work just fine."

Steve Griggs Quintet. CD release parties Wednesday, 8 p.m., Tula's, 2214 Second Ave. ($8, reservations 206-443-4221); Thursday, 8 p.m., at the Still Life, 709 N. 35th St. (free); Saturday at Crossroads Shopping Center, 15600 N.E. Eighth St., Bellevue (free); April 17, 8 p.m., Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave. ($10, reservations 206-441-9729).