It is interesting to reflect that in the generation before Elvin Jones’, musicians who achieved great things as members of the Duke Ellington Orchestra were never quite the same players when away from the context that gave their talents greatest meaning. In many ways, the players associated with John Coltrane's great quartet never quite scaled the heights away from Coltrane as they did when the quartet was at the peak of its powers. Maybe this is not entirely true of McCoy Tyner, who for some years was adrift (by his own admission) until a rich run of form in the mid-1970s on the Milestone label produced two or three minor classics. In Jones’ case, his masterful drumming was central to any ensemble he formed, it was just that he could never really find somebody of Coltrane's stature with whom he could play with, for and against that gave his drumming the kind of context it needed. Both these albums were made during Coltrane's lifetime, and both have much to commend them. Illumination from August 1963 brings together Sonny Simmons and Prince Lasha, who combined to such powerful effect the year before on The Cry, plus Charles Davis on baritone sax. Underpinned by three-quarters of the then Coltrane rhythm section, the result is not quite the startling revelation you might expect, albeit in Simmons’‘Aborigine Dance in Scotland’ it did produce a memorable song title. Simmons and Lasha are always good value, and their approach is in contrast to that of Charlie Mariano on Dear John C from 1965. Mariano was a fine musician, and with the exception of the title track, works through a set of standards plus Mingus’ ‘Love Bird’ and Ellington's ‘Fantazm’. With the consummate accompaniment of either Roland Hanna or Hank Jones, Elvin Jones moderates his approach to appropriately accompany Mariano's accomplished interpretations of pieces such as Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse's ‘Feeling Good’ and Matt Dennis’ ‘Everything Happens to Me’, both album highlights.