ELVIN JONES

'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.

Contents

Biography

Early life

1949-1960: Early career

1960-1966: John Coltrane and Beyond

Late career

Educator

Death

Selected discography

As leader

As sideman

Multimedia

References

External links

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

1. Elvin Jones NPR interview

External links

★ Elvin Jones at ''drummerworld.com''