Early Years

Elvin Ray Jones, one of the most influential jazz drummers of the 1960’s, was the youngest of ten children. Three of the ten became noted jazz musicians. Hank (Henry) Jones, the oldest of these three, was born in 1918 and became a well-respected jazz pianist. Thad (Thadeus Joseph), born in 1923, played cornet and flugelhorn. A “buoyant” and “commanding presence” as both a player and leader (Hentoff, 1995, p. 90), Thad was also a successful composer and bandleader. Elvin Ray Jones, the youngest of the ten Jones children, was born in Pontiac, Michigan, on September 9, 1927. As a young drummer, he received professional guidance from his brothers, as well as moral support from them and from the rest of the family He dropped out of tenth grade to work at General Motors, but he also began playing professionally at that time, in Pontiac, sometimes with his brothers, using borrowed drum sets.

At age eighteen, Jones signed up with the army, serving in military bands from 1946-1949; his brother Thad had also served in the military from 1943 to 1946. When the youngest Jones was discharged, he bought himself a drum set and headed to Detroit, Michigan, which had a very active and exciting jazz scene at that time. He worked with various bands, some of which were organized by his brother Thad. Eventually Elvin joined Billy Mitchell’s quintet. As the house band at the Bluebird Club, the quintet accompanied national jazz artists who regularly performed there.

A Major Influence on Jazz Drumming

In 1956, Elvin Jones went to New York to audition for Benny Goodman. He did not get that job, but decided to stay in New York. Although his style had not yet completely matured, Jones already had, at this point, a heavy, busy, distinctive style that, in hindsight, clearly presaged what was to come. Branford Marsalis says of Jones’ performance on Sonny Rollins’s famous 1957 live album A Night at the Village Vanguard, “There is nothing in his playing where you would say ‘Oh my God!,’ like when he played with Coltrane. What you hear if you check out the Sonny Rollins record is, I think, the most important aspect of Elvin’s playing: he came through the tradition of swing drumming - not at the expense of the tradition - and extended that concept." (Kahn, 2002, p. 46-47) As Marsalis suggests, Jones’s drum style is a logical extension and inheritor of the Kenny Clarke-Max Roach-Art Blakey bop tradition. In bop drumming, only the ride and high-hat cymbals keep time by playing repeated patterns; the rest of the drum set is freed up to play improvised lines, counterrythmic motifs, and explosive accents. Blakey, in particular, increased the level of non-time-keeping activity and used cross-rhythms freely, and it was this aspect of the tradition, in particular, that Jones extended.

Cross-rhythm, also called polyrhythm, refers to performing two contrasting rhythms (for example, one giving a strong pulse every three eighth notes with another one giving a strong pulse every four eighth notes) at the same time. Polyrhythm is fundamental to Jones’s drumming. Shadow Wilson and Roy Haynes had also experimented with polyrhythms, but Jones became the most influential player in this style. He could play several metrically contrasting rhythms at the same time, each with its own irregularly shifting accents that were also independent of the basic pulse. By mixing different subdivisions (quarter, eighth and sixteenth-note triplets, for example), with different irregular accents, over extended periods, Jones created dense, layered percussion textures, a wide array of timbres, and, most notably, a great variety of polyrhythms. His technique was so so influential on later drummers that he is widely considered “a seminal figure in the development of modern jazz rhythm.... a player of great subtlety as well as towering strength.” (Morgenstern, 2004, p.377) Jones “ultimately gave the drummer a broader role in ensemble playing, as a collaborative improviser, and as the principal architect of large scale, organically evolving percussive textures, while removing the emphasis from his function as timekeeper.” (Kernfeld, 1988, p. 628)

Jones did in fact also continue the trend of de-emphasizing the basic pulse in the drums. Whereas most bebop drummers moved the beat from the bass drum to the cymbals, Jones did not see a need to keep the beat in any one place. He insisted that the drum set is one instrument, not a collection of instruments. In his playing, a rhythmic idea is just as likely to continue in a different part of the set as it is to be repeated on the same part, with the result that the “groove” (the basic driving rhythm of the piece) is “spread around the entire kit.” (Riley, 2004, p. 76)

It may have been this less-obvious treatment of the pulse that allowed yet another aspect of Jones’s playing which was already audible in that 1957 Rollins album. Those who played with Jones often expressed gratitude for his rhythmic flexibility, which they felt allowed them greater freedom while soloing, while never losing track of the basic pulse. Later drummers influenced by Jones felt that this flexibility, along with his layers of polyrhythms, freed the drums from a sort of “tyranny of the bar line”. (One could say they were allowed to play outside the box.) One famous story has Jones replying, when questioned on liberties taken while “trading fours” (essentially taking turns playing four measures of solo) by saying, “some fours take longer than others.” (Mattingly, 2004, p. 50)

Of course, a simpler way to say all this might be that Jones’s playing was loud and intense, and lacked a strong rhythmic pulse. Although his style influenced many avante garde drummers of the late 1960’s and 1970’s, and contributed greatly to the development of the “free improvisation” style of drumming, in New York, in 1956, his polyrhythms were bewildering to some, who suspected he was more incompetent than talented. Jones has said of those years, “It’s hard for a young person when you feel what you’re doing is correct, but you’re not accepted. My telephone didn’t ring as often as it could have.” (Kahn, 2002, p. 46)

Nevertheless, Jones quickly established a reputation as the newest important drummer in the Blakey tradition. During those five years in New York, Jones did work with many top players, including J.J. Johnson’s quintet, the Pepper Adams-Donald Byrd quintet, Bud Powell, Tyree Glenn, Stan Getz, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Sonny Rollins, and Miles Davis.

He also caught the ear of John Coltrane, who became determined to hire him. In 1960, Coltrane hired Jones, flying him out to Denver to join the Coltrane Quartet at a gig as soon as he was available, and arranging multiple recording sessions soon after Jones joined him. This began a 5-year association “that was to become one of the most significant in jazz history.” (Kernfeld, 1988, p. 628) Early in his career, John Coltrane changed his sidemen repeatedly; none of his first five records used the same personnel. But by 1960 he had begun to find the sound he wanted with Elvin Jones on drums and McCoy Tyner on piano. Steve Davis was on bass at that time. Reggie Workman eventually replaced Davis, and then Jimmy Garrison replaced Workman. Coltrane commented publicly that while Workman was good, he needed a bass player who was also a “force of nature” and could “respond with the same authority” to Jones’s playing. (Kahn, 2002, p. 1961) The Coltrane-Jones-Tyner-Garrison version of the quartet lasted for several years, and has come to be considered the classic Coltrane sound.

Of Coltrane’s sidemen, Jones, in particular, is considered to have been a major influence on Coltrane. It has been suggested that “if Jones had never done anything other than play with John Coltrane, he would still be regarded as a jazz legend.” (Mattingly, 2004, p. 42) “There have been a handful of horn players and drummers who together created a unique rhythmic synergy. John Coltrane and Elvin Jones enabled each other to reach previously unexplored areas of jazz expression that remain among the most impassioned and influential works in the music’s history. Many of Coltrane’s Quartet’s performances developed into a saxophone and drum duet that went on for extended periods.” (Schoenberg, 2002, p. 124)

Many accounts hint that Jones was not always easy to work with, “obstreperous, drinking and using drugs heavily, often absent and at times temperamental.” (Collier, 1978, p.490) Coltrane regularly had to hire replacements when Jones did not show up. It may be that Coltrane, as a former addict who had rejected drugs and now deliberately cultivated a calm, gentle, very controlled demeanor, was able to be more patient with such problems than some bandleaders. It is also clear, however, that he valued Jones’s musicianship too much to give up on him. One widely circulated story claims: “Once when Elvin Jones smashed up a car belonging to his leader, Coltrane did not remonstrate, but replied to the effect that he could always get another car, but he could not get another Elvin Jones.” (Collier, 1978, p. 490)

It is difficult to argue with the results, which included Coltrane’s highly influential album, A Love Supreme. It should also be noted that other accounts of Jones speak of a man who was full of smiles and laughter and bear hugs. These accounts do not mention substance abuse, so it is difficult to say whether they simply ignore his difficult times, or whether he too cleaned up his act in later years. All who knew him do agree that he was a man who “projects boundless energy”. (Hentoff, 1995, p. 90), sweating during performances to the point of having to wring out his suit afterwards. It is also interesting to note that, although their outward personalities were so different, Jones’s friends also considered him to be a religious man, and he may have been in tune with Coltrane on a basic spiritual level as well as musically. Jones has said, “The quartet never really talked about the spiritual aspect. It wasn’t contrived; things just happened. We had all been brought up in families that were hardworking and churchgoing, and the music was a a continuation of our upbringing. When I was a child in Pontiac, my mother and father would take all us kids to church on Sunday and we’d be up there all day.... My mother and sisters all sang in the choir, and I loved to hear those gospel songs. When I listen to A Love Supreme, it reminds me of those days. The spirit of God is in all of us, and when we started to play, that’s what came out.” (Kahn, 2002, p. x)

In 1966, Coltrane added a second drummer, Rashied Ali to his group. Meditations was the last recording made by Coltrane with McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones. Jones, by all reports, did not like sharing the bandstand with a second drummer, and their styles were jarringly different. Jones’s polyrhythms may have been complex, and often only implied a flexible beat. The beat that was implied, however, under the polyrhythms and the flexibility, was still usually a steady, swinging bop pulse. Ali was more committed to a free jazz style that was much more willing to stretch, play with, ignore, or even abandon the basic pulse altogether. The band’s sound sometimes simply degenerated into a loud duel for control between the drummers. Tyner soon left, complaining that he could not hear himself play. By early 1966, Jones had also left.

Coltrane was aware of the conflicts, but did nothing, allowing the drummers to drown out his own playing until the band membershiop settled down again. This was typical of Coltrane’s leadership style, in which he often refused to control or give direction, even when asked for it. It is also clear, however, that he personally could not be deflected from the direction that he felt his music must go. Many of his fans did not understand the new direction any better than his former band members, but it may be that Coltrane suspected his remaining time would be short, and felt obligated to continue exploring new paths. He died in 1967.

The Post-Coltrane Years

After leaving Coltrane, Jones played with a Duke Ellington tour of Europe that lasted for a couple of weeks, then stayed in Paris for a while, performing at the Blue Note Club. After his return to the U.S., Jones led various trios, quartets, and sextets. The typical instrumentation for these groups included one or two sax players and a bass player strong enough to complement Jones in a pianoless rhythm section. Jimmy Garrison, formerly with Coltrane, was one bass player who sometimes joined Jones. Other sidemen in these groups included Joe Farrell, Frank Foster, George Coleman, Wilbur Little, Jan Hammer, Lew Soloff, and Gene Perla. Jones’s groups appeared throughout the U.S. and Europe, and also toured South America and Asia.

In 1970, Jones appeared in the satirical WesternZachariah; in 1979 he was the subject of the documentary Different Drummer: Elvin Jones. Although he sometimes felt that he was living in the shadow of his own work with Coltrane, Jones continued to have a strong influence on the careers of important jazz musicians. Both rock and jazz drummers expressed admiration for his technique and flocked to hear him play. In the early 1980’s, he began calling the groups that he headed The Jazz Machine. Players with the Jazz Machine included Joshua Redman, Pat LaBarbera, Sonny Fortune, Ravi Coltrane, Kenny Kirkland, and Delfeayo Marsalis. Elvin Jones died at age 76, in Englewood, New Jersey, on May 18, 2004. His health had been declining for some time, but he had continued playing; his final performance, in Oakland, was only a few weeks before his death.

Discography

A Night at the Village Vanguard(1957, Blue Note) Although Jones was only subbing on this Sonny Rollins recording, the album, and particularly “Sonnymoon for Two”, is considered the most revealing of Jones’s early work.

A Love Supreme (1964, Impulse) is the most influential example of his work with Coltrane. Although there is considerable disagreement over which of the other Coltrane albums best highlights Jones, Live at Birdland (1963, Impulse) is also widely considered to show off the Jones-Coltrane synergy.

Elvin! (1961, Original Jazz Classics) is a sextet session led by Jones, with his brothers Thad and Hank, plus Frank Wess on flute, Frank Foster on tenor, and Art Davis on bass. Although recorded during the Coltrane years, it has a more conservative swing sound that has been compared to Basie.

Illumination (Impulse, 1963), on the other hand, ranges from advanced hard bop to freer sounds that still swing. Co-led by Jones and Jimmy Garrison, it also includes McCoy Tyner, baritonist Charles Davis, and avante-gardists Sonny Simmons (alto and English horn) and Prince Lasha (flute and clarinet). “Nuttin’ out Jones”, on this album, is considered an excellent example of Jones’s use of irregularly accented subdivisions to generate a wide array of polyrhythms. Together with Elvin!, it shows the wide range of his capabilities as a drummer at that time.

The Complete Blue Notes Elvin Jones Sessions (Mosaic) is a good choice for those interested in Jones’s later work. It is a reissuing of all of his recordings with Blue Note from 1968-1973. The most widely noted of these sessions is Live at the Lighthouse (Blue Note, 1972).

Bibliography

Collier, James Lincoln. The Making of Jazz: A Comprehensive History. Houghton Mifflin Company. Boston, 1978. Collier’s history is an overview, with a reasonable amount of technical information for the casual reader and plenty of anecdotes and a good discography (which, however, I assume is out of date), but a short bibliography and no notes.

Feather, Leonard. Encyclopedia of Jazz in the Sixties. Horizon Press. New York 1966. This book includes many short, encyclopedia-style biographies.

Hentoff, Nat. Listen to the Stories: Nat Hentoff on Jazz and Country Music. HarperCollins. New York, 1995. This book focusses on the stories of musicians Hentoff befriended over decades of writing about jazz and country music.

Kahn, Ashley. A Love Supreme: The Story of John Coltrane’s Signature Album. Viking Penguin. New York, 2002. This very readable history tells Coltrane’s story by focussing on just about every relevant aspect of the making of his most famous album. The foreward was written by Elvin Jones.

Kernfeld, Barry, ed. The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, Volume One, A-K. Macmillan Press Limited. New York, 1988. Biographical entries in this dictionary include extensive discographies as well as basic information on the life and the influence of the musician.

Mattingly, Rick. “A Tribute to Elvin Jones.” Modern Drummer. Volume 28 (October 2004), pp. 42-62. In an issue of Modern Drummer dedicated to the recently deceased Jones, this article is an extensive overview of Jones’s life and influence.

Morgenstern, Dan. Living with Jazz, A Reader edited by Sheldon Meyer. Pantheon Books, New York, 2004. This selection of Morgenstern’s writings on jazz is taken from many different sources. The discussion of Elvin Jones, for example, is from the liner notes of a Jimmy Rowles/Stan Getz album.

O’Meally, Robert G., ed. The Jazz Cadence of American Culture. Columbia University Press. New York 1998. This is a collection of essays on jazz by many different writers. Coltrane and Jones are discussed in the essay by James A. Snead.

Riley, John. “Elvin Jones: Style and Analysis.” Modern Drummer. Volume 28 (October 2004), pp. 76-79. In an issue of Modern Drummer dedicated to the recently deceased Jones, a drummer analyzes Jones’s techniques and methods and offers exercises for those interested in being able to copy them.

Schoenberg, Loren. The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Jazz. Berkeley Publishing Group. New York, 2002. Oddly, this book does not have an extensive discography. Instead it focusses on reviewing a few important CDs. It does have a useful bibliography however, and short biographies of the major musicians.