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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).

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 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.

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.

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 (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.

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 Jones and his second, albeit common-law wife, Keiko Jones (Elvin married Keiko before divorcing Shirley, meaning that legally he and Keiko were not married). Elvin Jones is also survived by son Elvin Nathan Jones of California and daughter Rose-Marie From of Sweden.

Contents 1 Selected discography 1.1 As leader 1.2 With Sonny Rollins 1.3 With John Coltrane 1.4 With McCoy Tyner 1.5 With Wayne Shorter 1.6 With Freddie Hubbard 1.7 With Joe Henderson 1.8 With Grant Green 2 Multimedia 3 External links

• 1961 Together!
• 1961 Elvin Jones & Company
• 1961 Elvin!
• 1963 Illumination (co-leader with Jimmy Garrison)
• 1965 Dear John C.
• 1967 Heavy Sounds (co-leader with Richard Davis)
• 1968 Puttin' It Together
• 1968 The Ultimate
• 1969 Polycurrents
• 1970 Coalition
• 1971 Genesis
• 1972 Live At The Light House
• 1973 At This Point In Time
• 2004 The Truth' ' (guest Michael Brecker)

• 1957 Live At The Village Vanguard
• 1966 East Broadway Rundown

• 1960 Coltrane Plays the Blues
• 1960 Coltrane's Sound
• 1960 My Favorite Things
• 1961 Impressions
• 1961 Olé Coltrane
• 1961 Africa Brass
• 1961 Live At The Village Vanguard
• 1962 Ballads
• 1963 John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
• 1962 Coltrane (Impulse!)
• 1963 Live At Birdland
• 1964 Crescent
• 1964 A Love Supreme
• 1965 The John Coltrane Quartet Plays
• 1965 Transition
• 1965 First Meditations
• 1965 Sun Ship
• 1965 Live In Seattle
• 1965 Meditations
• 1965 One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note

• 1962 Inception
• 1963 Today and Tomorrow
• 1964 Plays Duke Ellington
• 1967 The Real McCoy
• 1970 Extensions
• 1975 Trident

• 1964 Night Dreamer
• 1964 Juju
• 1964 Speak No Evil

• 1962 Ready For Freddie
• 1966 Blue Spirits

• 1964 In 'N Out
• 1964 Inner Urge

• 1964 Matador
• 1964 Street of Dreams
• 1964 Solid
• 1964 Talkin' About!
• 1965 I Want To Hold Your Hand

• 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

• Elvin Jones at drummerworld.com