elvin jones/richard davis

Biography

Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was born in Pontiac, Michigan, the youngest of ten children in a musical family that included brothers Hank Jones (pianist) and Thad Jones (trumpeter). Mostly self-taught, he played drums in school and army bands before launching his professional career in Detroit in 1949, performing with musicians like Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Bostic, and Johnny Hodges. In 1955, he moved to New York City, working with Donald Byrd, Pepper Adams, Charles Mingus, and notably Sonny Rollins at the Village Vanguard in 1957, where their trio performances without piano expanded improvisational possibilities in jazz.[1][2][3]

In 1960, Jones joined John Coltrane's classic quartet alongside pianist McCoy Tyner and bassist Jimmy Garrison, recording landmark albums like My Favorite Things (1961), A Love Supreme (1964), Live at Birdland (1964), and Ascension (1966). His forceful polyrhythmic style—featuring independent hand and foot rhythms with shifting accents—elevated the drummer to an equal improvisational partner, redefining swing and profoundly influencing jazz drumming. He left Coltrane in 1966 after the addition of Rashied Ali and formed his own groups, including trios and the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine (from 1978), collaborating with saxophonists Joe Farrell, Dave Liebman, Frank Foster, and Pat LaBarbera on albums like The Ultimate Elvin Jones (1968), Puttin' It Together (1968), and Summit Meeting (1976).[1][2][3]

Jones's prodigious technique, four-limb independence, and thunderous intensity built on predecessors like Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, and Jo Jones while giving drums a unique voice. He continued leading and touring with the Jazz Machine through the 1980s and 1990s until his death from heart failure in Englewood, New Jersey, at age 76. Inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1995, he is hailed as one of jazz's most influential drummers.[2][3]

Fun Facts

• Elvin was the youngest of ten children; his twin brother Elvin Roy died at nine months old.
• His 1957 Village Vanguard trio with Sonny Rollins (no piano) revolutionized drummer-soloist interplay, as heard on I Can't Get Started and Old Devil Moon.
• Jones freelanced on iconic tracks like Wayne Shorter's Dance Cadaverous (Night Dreamer) and Joe Henderson's Inner Urge during his Coltrane years.
• He formed the revolving-door Elvin Jones Jazz Machine in 1978, featuring Ravi Coltrane (John's son) among others until his death.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Kenny Clarke - stylistic predecessor in modern jazz drumming (general influence on polyrhythms) [1940s-1950s]
• Max Roach - key influence on technique and independence (general influence) [1940s-1950s]
• Jo Jones - swing-era influence on rhythmic feel (general influence) [1940s-1950s]

Key Collaborators

• John Coltrane - quartet member (drummer) (My Favorite Things, A Love Supreme, Live at Birdland) [1960-1966]
• McCoy Tyner - Coltrane quartet pianist (Coltrane quartet albums) [1960-1966]
• Jimmy Garrison - Coltrane quartet bassist; later trio member (Coltrane albums; Puttin' It Together) [1960-1966; late 1960s]
• Richard Davis - bassist on co-led album (Heavy Sounds) [1968]
• Joe Farrell - saxophonist in trio (Puttin' It Together) [late 1960s]
• Dave Liebman - saxophonist in groups (1970s sessions) [1970s]

Artists Influenced

• Subsequent jazz drummers - copied polyrhythmic style and cymbal accents (general post-1960s jazz drumming) [1960s onward]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia