Coltrane is not witty; Rollins is. That does not imply any preference for either one.

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How can I define the quality I find in Tony Williams' drumming? I think, absurdly, of the phrase "cleansing the palate." A pure or cleansing sound, a refreshment of the senses. How different from Elvin, who I also love, but who is not as recent a discovery for me. I understand Elvin, in the sense that I know what he is doing rhythmically, in way I don't yet understand Tony. How the fact that poetry people are more likely to read this blog pulls it away from my jazz interests, to some degree. Does the ear for drumming correspond to the ear for poetic rhythm? Yes and no. Each requires a specialized training. Theory of prosody has not caught up to where a good listener's ear should be. How great it is that Jordan Davis should define his blog as a way of testing out ideas about versification. Most recent post first, backtracking through the day.