Release Date: 8/28/2026

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio on February 23 & 25, 1965, and released later that year on Impulse! Records, Dear John C. is drummer Elvin Jones's first album for the label as a leader. Produced by Bob Thiele, it features Charlie Mariano, Roland Hanna, Hank Jones, Richard Davis, and Jones, balancing fresh interpretations of standards with works by Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, and Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. The title track pays tribute to John Coltrane, Jones's legendary collaborator, and captures the broad, exploratory vision that defined his early recordings as a bandleader. 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.