Elvin Ray Jones (9 September 1927–18 May 2004) was one of the most influential jazz drummers of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan. He served in the United States Army from 1946 to 1949 and then played in a Detroit houseband led by Billy Mitchell. He moved to New York in 1955 and worked as a sideman for Charles Mingus-Teddy Charles, Bud Powell and Miles Davis.

From 1960 to 1966 he was a member of the John Coltrane quartet, perhaps his most celebrated recording phase, appearing on such albums as A Love Supreme. Following his work with John Coltrane, Jones led several small groups, several under the name The Elvin Jones Jazz Machine. He recorded with both of his brothers during his career, jazz musicians Hank Jones and Thad Jones. In his later career he worked with many of the younger jazz artists of today, including Bill Frisell.

Biography

Early life

Elvin Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan. By age two he said he knew he held a fascination for drums. He would watch the circus marching band parades go by his home as a boy, particularly fascinated by the drummers. He would wander off after the parade, sometimes for miles, just to watch them. In high school he was the drummer in his high school marching band. Jones began service in the United States Army in 1946. He was discharged in 1949, and returned home penniless. Jones said he borrowed thirty-five dollars from his sister when he got back to buy his first drumset.^[1]

1949-1960: Early career

Elvin began his professional career in 1949 with a short-lived gig in Detroit's Grand River Street club . Eventually he went on to play with artists such as Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Wardell Gray. In 1955, after a failed audition for the Benny Goodman band, he found work in New York, joining Charles Mingus's band, and releasing a record called J is for Jazz.

1960-1966: John Coltrane and Beyond

In 1960, he joined with the classic John Coltrane Quartet, which also included bassist Jimmy Garrison and pianist McCoy Tyner. Jones and Coltrane often played extended duet passages, both giving and taking energy through their instruments. This band is widely considered to have redefined "swing" (the rhythmic feel of jazz) in much the same way that Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker et al did during earlier stages of jazz's development. He stayed with Coltrane until 1966. By that time, Jones was not entirely comfortable with the direction Coltrane was moving in and his polyrhythmic style clashed with the "multidirectional" approach of the group's second drummer, Rashied Ali.

Jones remained highly active after leaving the John Coltrane group, and led several bands in the late sixties and seventies that are considered highly influential groups. Notable among them was a trio formed with saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Joe Farrell and (ex-Coltrane) bassist Jimmy Garrison, with whom he recorded the Blue Note album "Puttin' It Together." Jones recorded extensively for Blue Note under his own name in the late sixties and early seventies, with groups that featured prominent as well as up and coming greats. The two volume "Live At The Lighthouse" showcases a 21- and 26-year-old Steve Grossman and Dave Liebman, respectively. Other musicians of note who made significant contributions to Elvin's music during this period were baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, tenor saxophonists George Coleman and Frank Foster, trumpeter Lee Morgan, bassist Gene Perla, and keyboardist Jan Hammer.

Late career

His sense of timing, polyrhythms, dynamics, timbre, and legato phrasing - as well as the sheer mass of sound he produced - brought the drumset to the fore. Jones was touted by Life Magazine as "the world's greatest rhythmic drummer", and his free-flowing style was a major influence on many leading rock drummers, including Mitch Mitchell (whom Jimi Hendrix called "my Elvin Jones") and Ginger Baker. In 1999, Jones worked with Our Lady Peace on their album Happiness...Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch. He was featured, playing the drums, on the song Stealing Babies.

Educator

Jones, who taught regularly, often took part in clinics, played in schools, and gave free concerts in prisons. His lessons emphasized music history as well as drumming technique.

Death

Elvin Jones died of heart failure in Englewood, New Jersey on May 18, 2004. He is survived by his first wife Shirley and his second, albeit common-law, wife Keiko (Elvin married Keiko before divorcing Shirley, meaning that legally he and Keiko were not married). Elvin Jones is also survived by his son Elvin Nathan Jones of California and daughter Rose-Marie From of Sweden.

Selected discography

As leader

Year	Album	Co-leader	Label
1961	Together!	N/A
1961	Elvin Jones & Company	N/A
1961	Elvin!	N/A
1963	Illumination	Jimmy Garrison
1965	Dear John C.	N/A
1967	Heavy Sounds	Richard Davis
1968	Puttin' It Together	N/A	Blue Note Records
1969	Polycurrents	N/A
1970	''Coalition	N/A
1971	Genesis	N/A
1972	Live At The Light House	N/A
1973	At This Point In Time	N/A
2004	The Truth	N/A

As sideman

Year	Album	Leader	Label
1956	Farmer's Market	Art Farmer	New Jazz
1957	Paul Chambers Quintet	Paul Chambers	Blue Note
1957	Live at the Village Vanguard	Sonny Rollins	Blue Note
1966	East Broadway Rundown	Sonny Rollins	Impulse!
1959	Sketches of Spain	Miles Davis	Columbia
1960	Coltrane Plays the Blues	John Coltrane	Atlantic
1960	Coltrane's Sound	John Coltrane	Atlantic
1960	My Favorite Things	John Coltrane	Atlantic
1961	Olé Coltrane	John Coltrane	Atlantic
1961	Africa/Brass	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1961	Live at the Village Vanguard	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1962	Ballads	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1962	Coltrane	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1963	Impressions	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1963	John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman	Coltrane, Johnny Hartman	Impulse!
1963	Live at Birdland	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1964	Crescent	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1964	A Love Supreme	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1965	The John Coltrane Quartet Plays	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1965	Transition	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1965	First Meditations	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1965	Sun Ship	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1966	Live In Seattle	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1965	Meditations	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1965	One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note	John Coltrane	Impulse!
1961	Motion	Lee Konitz	Verve
1967	The Lee Konitz Duets	Lee Konitz	Milestone
1962	Inception	McCoy Tyner	Impulse!
1963	Today and Tomorrow	McCoy Tyner	Impulse!
1964	Plays Duke Ellington	McCoy Tyner	Impulse!
1967	The Real McCoy	McCoy Tyner	Blue Note
1970	Extensions	McCoy Tyner	Blue Note
1975	Trident	McCoy Tyner	Milestone
1964	Judgment!	Andrew Hill	Blue Note
1964	Stan Getz and Bill Evans	Stan Getz, Bill Evans	Verve
1964	Bob Brookmeyer and Friends	Bob Brookmeyer	Verve
1964	Night Dreamer	Wayne Shorter	Blue Note
1964	JuJu	Wayne Shorter	Blue Note
1964	Speak No Evil	Wayne Shorter	Blue Note
1962	Ready For Freddie	Freddie Hubbard	Blue Note
1966	Blue Spirits	Freddie Hubbard	Blue Note
1964	Matador	Grant Green	Blue Note
1964	Street of Dreams	Grant Green	Blue Note
1964	Solid	Grant Green	Blue Note
1964	"Talkin' About!"	Grant Green	Blue Note
1965	I Want to Hold Your Hand	Grant Green	Blue Note
1964	In 'N Out	Joe Henderson	Blue Note
1964	Inner Urge	Joe Henderson	Blue Note
1964	Into Somethin'	Larry Young	Blue Note
1965	Unity	Larry Young	Blue Note
1961	Into Something	Yusef Lateef	New Jazz
1965	Rip, Rig and Panic	Roland Kirk	Limelight
1987	But Beautiful	Lew Soloff	King Records

Multimedia

• NEA Jazz Masters video biography of Elvin Jones narrated by Billy Taylor
• Elvin Jones Interview from NEA Jazz Masters
• Elvin Jones with the John Coltrane Quartet peforming Afro Blue on Ralph Gleason's "Jazz Casual", 1963

References

External links

• Elvin Jones at drummerworld.com