Danish jazz drummer. Born: January 08, 1938. Died: July 24, 1991.
Elniff began in 1952 - just 14 years old - as a drummer in Ib Glindemann And His Orchestra which he was associated with for six years. He then studied at Det Kongelige Danske Musikkonservatorium in Copenhagen. With a mixture of technically refined tonal variation, he became one of the most popular jazz musicians of the time. He played with Oscar Pettiford and not least with Finn Savery and Erik Moseholm’s Trio. In 1961, Jørn Elniff was chosen as Jazz Musician of the Year by Den Danske Jazzkreds – aged just 23. In the first half of the 1960s, he began to accompany American guest musicians when they visited Copenhagen. He played with i.a. Eric Dolphy, Stan Getz, Brew Moore, Bud Powell, Dexter Gordon, Don Byas and Lucky Thompson. In the early 1970s, Elniff often worked with Ole Matthiessen’s trio and with Duke Jordan. After that, things went downhill for Jørn Elniff due to alcohol abuse and illness, and in the 1980s he was only rarely heard.