Cut on February 23 and 25, 1965, at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio and released later that year on Impulse!, Dear John C. marks drummer Elvin Jones’s first album for the label as a full-fledged leader, boldly looking forward while honoring his transformative contributions with the John Coltrane Quartet since the beginning of the decade. Produced by Bob Thiele, the sessions feature alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, pianists Roland Hanna and Elvin’s brother Hank Jones, bassist Richard Davis, and Jones on drums. The program offers takes on both then-current and classic pop (“Everything Happens to Me,” “This Love of Mine,” “Feeling Good”) alongside stirring compositions by Charles Mingus (“Love Bird”), Duke Ellington (“Fantazm”) and Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie (“Anthropology”). The title track, of course, pays tribute to Jones’ most famous collaborator – the opening salvo of this defining early statement of his work as a leader with a broad, exploratory vision.

Verve Acoustic Sounds Series titles are mastered from the original analog tapes by Matthew Lutthans, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP) and packaged in high-quality tip-on gatefold jackets.