Elvin Jones

Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 - May 18, 2004) was a jazz drummer. He was born in Pontiac, Michigan, the youngest child in a family of ten. His father worked for General Motors. Two of Jones' brothers were also jazz musicians: Hank (piano), and Thad (trumpet/flugelhorn).

Related Topics:
September 9 - 1927 - May 18 - 2004 - Jazz - Drummer - Pontiac, Michigan - General Motors - Hank - Piano - Thad - Trumpet - Flugelhorn

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Elvin began playing professionally in the 1940s, working with the Army Special Services program, Operation Happiness, and in 1949 had 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 Grey. 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.

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1940s - Army Special Services - Operation Happiness - 1949 - Detroit - Grand River Street - Charlie Parker - Miles Davis - Wardell Grey - 1955 - Benny Goodman - New York - Charles Mingus

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In 1960, he joined with the classic John Coltrane Quartet, which also included bassist Jimmy Garrison and pianist McCoy Tyner, and stayed with Coltrane until 1966. Jones was not entirely comfortable with the direction Coltrane was moving in and supposedly clashed with the group's second drummer, Rashied Ali.

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1960 - John Coltrane - Jimmy Garrison - McCoy Tyner - 1966

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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.

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Duet - Swing - Rhythm - Louis Armstrong - Charlie Parker

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After leaving the Coltrane group, Jones played with Duke Ellington, and eventually formed his own touring group. Jazz Machine, normally a quintet, continued in the same musical direction. 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 (who Jimi Hendrix called "my Elvin Jones") and Ginger Baker.

Related Topics:
Duke Ellington - Jazz Machine - Quintet - Polyrhythm - Dynamics - Timbre - Legato - Phrasing - Life Magazine - Mitch Mitchell - Jimi Hendrix - Ginger Baker

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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. Elvin Jones died of heart failure in Englewood, New Jersey on May 18, 2004. He is survived by his wife, Keiko Jones.

Related Topics:
Prison - Englewood, New Jersey - May 18

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