Elvin Jones, one of the most influential jazz drummers, most known for his work with John Coltrane, died this week five years ago, on May 18th, 2004.  Adam Mansbach, who is recently well known for his novel Angry White Black Boy, also wrote a jazz novel, Shackling Water, that some consider second only to James Baldwin’s Sonny’s Blues. He pays a lovely tribute to Elvin Jones here. Acknowledging the musician’s ability, even in his last days, to triumph over the suffering of dailyness, with the glory of jazz, Mansbach highlights the beauty that only love and dedication can bring.