Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era.[1] 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 subsequently 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.[1]
From 1960 to 1966 he was a member of the John Coltrane quartet (along with Jimmy Garrison on bass and McCoy Tyner on Piano), a celebrated recording phase, appearing on such albums as A Love Supreme. Following his work with John Coltrane, Jones led several small groups, some 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.[1]
[]
[]
Early life[]
Elvin Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan to parents Henry and Olivia Jones who moved to Michigan from Vicksburg, Mississippi. 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. Following his early passion, Elvin joined his high school's black marching band, where he developed his foundation in rudiments. 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.[2]
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 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. This band is widely considered to have redefined "swing" (the rhythmic feel of jazz) in much the same way that Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and others did during earlier stages of jazz's development. He stayed with Coltrane until 1966. By that time, Jones was not entirely comfortable with Coltrane's new direction and his polyrhythmic style clashed with the "multidirectional" approach of the group's second drummer, Rashied Ali.
Jones remained 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, keyboardist Jan Hammer and Jazz - World Music group Oregon.
Late career[]
Elvin Jones' sense of timing, polyrhythms, dynamics, timbre, and legato phrasing brought the drumset to the foreground. 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 drummers, including Christian Vander, Mitch Mitchell (whom Jimi Hendrix called "my Elvin Jones") and Ginger Baker. He appeared as the villain Job Cain in the 1971 off-beat Western film Zachariah, in which he performed a drum solo after winning a saloon gunfight. In 1999, Jones worked with Our Lady Peace on their album Happiness...Is Not a Fish That You Can Catch. He was featured playing drums on the song "Stealing Babies", which was also featured on their 2009 compilation album The Very Best of Our Lady Peace.
Jones performed and recorded with his own group, the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine, whose line up changed through the years. Sonny Fortune and Ravi Coltrane, John Coltrane's son, both played saxophone with the Jazz Machine in the early 1990s, appearing together with Jones on In Europe on Enja Records in 1991. 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 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 survived by his son Elvin Nathan Jones of California and daughter Rose-Marie Rosie Jones of Sweden.
Discography[]
As leader[]
| Year of recording | Album | Personnel | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Together! | Philly Joe Jones, Blue Mitchell, Curtis Fuller, Hank Mobley, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers | Atlantic |
| 1961 | Elvin! | Frank Wess, Frank Foster, Art Davis, Hank Jones, Thad Jones | Riverside |
| 1963 | Illumination! | Jimmy Garrison, Prince Lasha, Sonny Simmons, Charles Davis, McCoy Tyner | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Dear John C. | Richard Davis, Hank Jones, Roland Hanna, Charlie Mariano | Impulse! |
| 1965 | And Then Again | J. J. Johnson, Frank Wess, Charles Davis, Don Friedman, Paul Chambers, Thad Jones, Hank Jones, Art Davis | Atlantic |
| 1966 | Midnight Walk | Thad Jones, Hank Mobley, Dollar Brand, Steve James, Don Moore | Atlantic |
| 1967 | Heavy Sounds | Richard Davis, Frank Foster, Billy Greene | Impulse! |
| 1968 | Live at the Village Vanguard | Wilbur Little, George Coleman, Marvin Peterson | Enja |
| 1968 | Puttin' It Together | Joe Farrell, Jimmy Garrison | Blue Note |
| 1968 | The Ultimate | Jimmy Garrison, Joe Farrell | Blue Note |
| 1969 | Poly-Currents | George Coleman, Joe Farrell, Pepper Adams, Wilbur Little, Candido Camero, Fred Tompkins | Blue Note |
| 1970 | Coalition | George Coleman, Frank Foster, Wilbur Little, Candido Camero, | Blue Note |
| 1971 | Genesis | Gene Perla, Frank Foster, Dave Liebman, Joe Farrell | Blue Note |
| 1971 | Merry-Go-Round | Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Joe Farrell, Chick Corea, Jan Hammer, Don Alias, Gene Perla | Blue Note |
| 1971 | Elvin Jones Live: The Town Hall | Gene Perla, Chick Corea, Joe Farrell, Frank Foster | PM Records |
| 1972 | Mr. Jones | Joe Farrell, Pepper Adams, Dave Liebman, Jan Hammer, Gene Perla | Blue Note |
| 1972 | Live at the Lighthouse | Dave Liebman, Steve Grossman, Gene Perla | Blue Note |
| 1973 | At This Point in Time | Steve Grossman, Pepper Adams, Jan Hammer | Blue Note |
| 1969-1973 | The Prime Element | George Coleman, Joe Farrell, Lee Morgan, Pepper Adams, Steve Grossman, Frank Foster | Blue Note |
| 1975 | Mr. Thunder | Steve Grossman, Roland Prince, Milton Suggs, Luis Agudo, Sjunne Ferger | East West |
| 1975 | Elvin Jones is "On the Mountain" | Jan Hammer, Gene Perla | PM |
| 1975 | New Agenda | Steve Grossman, Roland Prince, Dave Williams | Vanguard |
| 1976 | The Main Force | Ryo Kawasaki, Al Dailey, Dave Liebman | Vanguard |
| 1976 | Summit Meeting | James Moody, Clark Terry, Bunky Green, Roland Prince | Vanguard |
| 1977 | Time Capsule | Bunky Green, Kenny Barron, Angel Allende, Ryo Kawasaki, Frank Wess, Milt Hinton, Frank Foster, George Coleman, Junie Booth | Vanguard |
| 1978 | Remembrance | Pat LaBarbera, Michael Stuart, Roland Prince, Andy McCloud III | MPS |
| 1978 | Elvin Jones Music Machine | Frank Foster, Pat LaBarbera, Roland Prince, Andy McCloud III | Mark Levison (Japan) |
| 1978 | Live in Japan 1978: Dear John C. | Frank Foster, Pat LaBarbera, Roland Prince, Andy McCloud III | Trio (Japan) |
| 1978 | Elvin Jones Jazz Machine Live in Japan Vol. 2 | Frank Foster, Pat LaBarbera, Roland Prince, Andy McCloud III | Trio (Japan) |
| 1979 | Very R.A.R.E. | Art Pepper, Frank Foster, Pat LaBarbera | Trio (Japan) |
| 1980 | Soul Train | Andrew White, Richard "Ari" Brown, Marvin Horne, Andy McCloud III | Denon |
| 1980 | Heart to Heart | Tommy Flanagan, Richard Davis | Denon |
| 1982 | Earth Jones | Kenny Kirkland, Dave Liebman, Terumasa Hino, George Mraz | Palo Alto |
| 1982 | Love & Peace | McCoy Tyner, Pharoah Sanders, Jean-Paul Bourelly, Richard Davis | Trio (Japan) |
| 1982 | Brother John | Kenny Kirkland, Reggie Workman, Pat LaBarbera | Palo Alto |
| 1984 | Live at the Village Vanguard Volume One | Frank Foster, Pat LaBarbera, Fumio Karashima, Chip Jackson | Landmark |
| 1985 | Elvin Jones Jazz Machine Live at Pit Inn | Sonny Fortune, Pat LaBarbera, Fumio Karashima, Richard Davis | Polydor (Japan) |
| 1990 | Power Trio | John Hicks, Cecil McBee | Novus |
| 1990 | When I Was at Aso-Mountain | Sonny Fortune, Takehisa Tanaka, Cecil McBee | Enja |
| 1991 | In Europe | Sonny Fortune, Ravi Coltrane, Willie Pickens, Chip Jackson | Enja |
| 1992 | Youngblood | Joshua Redman, Javon Jackson, Nicholas Payton, George Mraz | Enja |
| 1992 | Going Home | Willie Pickens, Ravi Coltrane, Kent Jordan, Brad Jones, Nicholas Payton | Enja |
| 1992 | Tribute to John Coltrane "A Love Supreme" | Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Reginald Veal | Columbia (Japan) |
| 1993 | It Don't Mean a Thing | Nicholas Payton, Sonny Fortune, Delfeayo Marsalis, Willie Pickens, Cecil McBee, Kevin Mahogany | Enja |
| 1998 | Momentum Space | Cecil Taylor, Dewey Redman | Verve |
| 1999 | The Truth: Heard Live at the Blue Note | Darren Barrett, Robin Eubanks, Carlos McKinney, Michael Brecker | Half Note |
As sideman[]
| Date (of recording) | Album | Leader | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Swing...Not Spring! | Billy Mitchell | Savoy Records |
| 1955 | Blue Moods | Miles Davis | Prestige Records |
| 1955 | The Magnificent Thad Jones | Thad Jones | Blue Note Records (1546) |
| 1956 | Farmer's Market | Art Farmer | New Jazz |
| 1956 | J is for Jazz | J. J. Johnson | Columbia Records |
| 1956-57 | The Jones Boys | Quincy Jones | Everest Recordings |
| 1957 | After the Party's Over | Aaron Bell | RCA Victor |
| 1957 | Paul Chambers Quintet | Paul Chambers | Blue Note Records |
| 1957 | The Cool Sound of Pepper Adams | Pepper Adams | Savoy Records |
| 1957 | Kenny Burrell | Kenny Burrell | Prestige Records (7088) |
| 1957 | Night at the Village Vanguard | Sonny Rollins | Blue Note Records |
| 1957 | Mad Thad | Thad Jones | Period |
| 1957 | Olio | Thad Jones | Prestige |
| 1958 | Mal/3: Sounds | Mal Waldron | Prestige Records (8201) |
| 1958 | Reflections | Steve Lacy | New Jazz (8206) |
| 1958 | 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot | Pepper Adams | Riverside Records (265) |
| 1958 | Keepin' Up With The Joneses | Thad Jones | Metrojazz (SE-1003) |
| 1958 | Soul Stirrin' | Bennie Green | Blue Note Records (1599) |
| 1958 | Pepper Knepper Quintet | Pepper Adams | Metrojazz |
| 1959 | All the Gin Is Gone | Jimmy Forrest | Delmark Records |
| 1959 | Destry Rides Again | Randy Weston | United Artists |
| 1959 | Sliding Easy | Curtis Fuller | United Artists |
| 1959 | Brass Shout | Art Farmer | United Artists |
| 1959 | Black Forrest | Jimmy Forrest | Delmark Records |
| 1959 | Great Jazz Standards | Gil Evans | World Pacific |
| 1959 | Sketches of Spain | Miles Davis | Columbia Records |
| 1959 | Motor City Scene | Thad Jones | United Artists |
| 1960 | Porgy and Bess: Swingin' Impressions by Hank Jones | Hank Jones | Capitol |
| 1960 | Stringsville | Harry Lookofsky | Collectables |
| 1960 | Keep Swingin' | Julian Priester | Riverside Records |
| 1960 | Coltrane Plays the Blues | John Coltrane | Atlantic Records |
| 1960 | Coltrane's Sound | John Coltrane | Atlantic Records |
| 1960 | My Favorite Things | John Coltrane | Atlantic Records |
| 1961 | Preminado | Barry Harris | Riverside Records |
| 1961 | Coltrane Jazz (only on 1 track) | John Coltrane | Atlantic Records |
| 1961 | Africa/Brass | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1961 | Live! at the Village Vanguard | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1961 | A Story Tale | Clifford Jordan and Sonny Red | Jazzland |
| 1961 | Into Something | Yusef Lateef | New Jazz |
| 1961 | Yusef Lateef Plays for Lovers | Yusef Lateef | Prestige Records (7447) |
| 1961 | Motion | Lee Konitz | Verve Records |
| 1962 | Ready for Freddie | Freddie Hubbard | Blue Note Records |
| 1962 | Duke Ellington & John Coltrane | Duke Ellington, John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1962 | Ballads | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1962 | Coltrane | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1962 | Inception | McCoy Tyner | Impulse! |
| 1963 | Today and Tomorrow | McCoy Tyner | Impulse! |
| 1963 | Impressions | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1963 | John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1963 | Live at Birdland | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1964 | Crescent | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1964 | A Love Supreme | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1964 | Judgment! | Andrew Hill | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | Stan Getz & Bill Evans | Stan Getz, Bill Evans | Verve Records |
| 1964 | Bob Brookmeyer and Friends | Bob Brookmeyer | Verve Records |
| 1964 | Night Dreamer | Wayne Shorter | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | JuJu | Wayne Shorter | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | Speak No Evil | Wayne Shorter | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington | McCoy Tyner | Impulse! |
| 1964 | Matador | Grant Green | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | Street of Dreams | Grant Green | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | Solid | Grant Green | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | Talkin' About! | Grant Green | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | In 'N Out | Joe Henderson | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | Inner Urge | Joe Henderson | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | Into Somethin' | Larry Young | Blue Note Records |
| 1964 | The Individualism of Gil Evans | Gil Evans | Verve Records |
| 1965 | Unity | Larry Young | Blue Note Records |
| 1965 | Rip, Rig and Panic | Roland Kirk | Limelight |
| 1965 | I Want to Hold Your Hand | Grant Green | Blue Note Records |
| 1965 | The John Coltrane Quartet Plays | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Om | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | New Thing at Newport | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Gleanings | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Transition | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | First Meditations | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Living Space | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Sun Ship | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Meditations | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Kulu Sé Mama | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1965 | Live at the Half Note: One Down, One Up | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1966 | Live In Seattle | John Coltrane | Impulse! |
| 1966 | East Broadway Run Down | Sonny Rollins | Impulse! |
| 1966 | Blue Spirits | Freddie Hubbard | Blue Note Records |
| 1967 | The Lee Konitz Duets | Lee Konitz | Milestone |
| 1967 | The Real McCoy | McCoy Tyner | Blue Note Records |
| 1967 | Sunshine of My Soul | Jaki Byard | Prestige Records |
| 1968 | Lady Coryell | Larry Coryell | Vanguard Records |
| 1968 | New York Is Now! | Ornette Coleman | Blue Note Records |
| 1968 | Love Call | Ornette Coleman | Blue Note Records |
| 1968 | Encounter! | Pepper Adams | Prestige Records |
| 1969 | Feeling Free | Barney Kessel | Original Jazz Classics |
| 1970 | Extensions | McCoy Tyner | Blue Note Records |
| 1971 | Outback | Joe Farrell | CTI Records |
| 1975 | Trident | McCoy Tyner | Milestone |
| 1976 | Together | Oregon | Vanguard Records |
| 1977 | Well Water | Frank Foster | Piadrum (released 2007) |
| 1977 | Beyond the Rain | Chico Freeman | Contemporary |
| 1977 | Something For Lester | Ray Brown | OJC |
| 1987 | But Beautiful | Lew Soloff | King Records |
| Jun 26, 1987[3] | Magical Trio 1 | James Williams | Emarcy |
| Sep 2, 1988[4] | Meet the Magical Trio | James Williams | Emarcy |
| 1990 | Special Quartet | David Murray | DIW/Columbia |
| 1991 | Ask the Ages | Sonny Sharrock | Axiom Records |
| May 22-23,1995 | Into The Frying Pan | Greg Packham | Packed Records |
| 1995 | After the Rain | John McLaughlin | Verve Records |
| 1995 | The Main Ingredient | Shirley Horn | Verve Records |
| 1998 | Trio Fascination: Edition One | Joe Lovano | Blue Note Records |
| 1999 | Jones for Elvin - Volumes 1 and 2 | Steve Griggs | Hip City Music |
| 1999 | Time is of the Essence | Michael Brecker | Verve Records |
| 2000 | Stefano di Battista | Stefano di Battista | Blue Note Records |
| 2001 | With Dave Holland and Elvin Jones | Bill Frisell | Nonesuch Records |
Filmography[]
- 1979 A Different Drummer (Rhapsody)[1]
- 1996 Elvin Jones: Jazz Machine (VIEW)[5]
- 1971 Zachariah MGM DVD
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Yanow, Scott. "Elvin Jones". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p6844. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
- ↑ Gross, Terry. "Elvin Jones NPR interview". http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1905210. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
- ↑ Allmusic Magical Trio 1 review
- ↑ Allmusic Meet the Magical Trio review
- ↑ Jones, Elvin. "VIEW DVD Listing". View.com. http://www.view.com/elvin_jones_jazz_machine_dvd.aspx. Retrieved 2011-10-19.
External links[]
Template:Commons
- [[[:Template:Official website/http]] Official website]
- Elvin Jones Biography & Interview at drummagazine.com
- Elvin Jones at drummerworld.com
- 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 performing Afro Blue on Ralph Gleason's "Jazz Casual", 1963
| {{{header}}} |
|---|
| {{{body}}} |