{"id":37385,"date":"2022-09-16T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/?p=37385"},"modified":"2023-07-07T11:53:13","modified_gmt":"2023-07-07T18:53:13","slug":"elvin-jones-drummer-genius","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/elvin-jones-drummer-genius\/","title":{"rendered":"Elvin Jones: 6 Reasons Why He Was A Drumming Genius"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bFTvZl8G9Z4\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;I was a rebel. Nobody could play with me &#8217;cause they couldn&#8217;t understand it.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elvin Jones is one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/top-25-jazz-drummers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">top jazz drummers of all time<\/a>, and definitely one of the most influential. But why?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>His power and energy were unmatched.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He took a unique <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/making-polyrhythms-musical\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">polyrhythmic<\/a> approach to timing, comping and soloing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>He was one of the first jazz drummers to approach the drum set as a single voice, often playing linear patterns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Elvin Jones influenced big names like Mitch Mitchell, John Bonham, Bill Bruford, John Densmore and Ginger Baker, even having a <a href=\"https:\/\/introgroove.com\/2021\/02\/01\/february-1-when-ginger-baker-battled-elvin-jones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drum battle with the latter in the early 70s<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A professional drummer from the 1940s until his passing in 2004, Jones was a key member of John Coltrane&#8217;s classic quartet in the &#8217;60s, appearing on legendary jazz records like <em>A Love Supreme, My Favorite Things<\/em> and <em>Ascension.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also performed with big names like Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, and was a great bandleader with his own projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are 6 reasons why Elvin Jones was a genius (and how he helped change the direction and future of jazz drumming):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. His playing was recognizable<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sonny Rollins&#8217; <em>A Night At The Village Vanguard<\/em> (featuring the well-known tune &#8220;A Night In Tunisia&#8221;) is one of the first times people heard what was to become &#8216;the Elvin Jones sound&#8217;. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Night In Tunisia (Live At The Village Vanguard\/1957 - Afternoon Take)\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1oWiVGAdJqc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But outside of that album, here are a few key tracks where you can hear his flavor at its finest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>&#8220;Remembrance&#8221; by Elvin Jones &#8211; Dramatic dynamics<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Zachariah&#8221; by Elvin Jones &#8211; Huge cymbal crashes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;Acknowledgment&#8221; by John Coltrane &#8211; A washy, rivet-filled ride sound<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>&#8220;My Favorite Things&#8221; by John McLaughlin &#8211; Hemiolas\/polyrhythms<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155220\/acknowledgment.svg\" alt=\"acknowledgment john coltrane elvin jones drum notation\" class=\"wp-image-37416\" width=\"840\" height=\"250\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An excerpt from &#8220;Acknowledgment&#8221;.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. His swing feel was unmatched<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the 1940s, most drummers would accent every quarter note or beats 2 and 4 while swinging on the ride, like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155228\/qt-the-genius-of-elvin-jones-01-1662980616.svg\" alt=\"jazz ride pattern drum notation\" class=\"wp-image-37423\" width=\"841\" height=\"104\" title=\"\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But not Elvin Jones. He&#8217;d often emphasize the upbeat of 2 and 4, like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155227\/qt-the-genius-of-elvin-jones-02-1662981384.svg\" alt=\"elvin jones swing beat\" class=\"wp-image-37422\" width=\"839\" height=\"103\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elvin Jones would often accent the upbeat of 2 and 4 on the ride.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to &#8220;Anthropology&#8221; by Elvin Jones or &#8220;Miles&#8217; Mode&#8221; by John Coltrane and you&#8217;ll hear the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jones was also known for his triplets, particularly his focus on the middle triplet partial (which most drummers neglected). You can hear this on tracks like &#8220;The Children, Save The Children&#8221; by the Elvin Jones Quartet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155226\/qt-the-genius-of-elvin-jones-03-1662981582.svg\" alt=\"elvin jones triplets drum notation\" class=\"wp-image-37421\" width=\"839\" height=\"104\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jones gave those middle notes the love they deserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Different Drummer\/Elvin Jones (complete) 1979\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/igdN9kFCM-s?start=785&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. His gear played a role in his groundbreaking sound<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>He was known for playing loudly with unprecedented energy and strength &#8211; so much strength that he&#8217;d sometimes nail the bass drum to the floor to keep it from sliding! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/14091454\/elvinbassdrumnail.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-37450\" width=\"841\" height=\"587\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/14091454\/elvinbassdrumnail.jpg 549w, https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/14091454\/elvinbassdrumnail-300x209.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 841px) 100vw, 841px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When the bass drum keeps sliding away, you nail it to the floor. Literally!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>His over-the-top style could&#8217;ve been partially due to trying to get more volume out of his relatively small drums, which he used in the early days because of limited travel space and stage space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From felt mallets on tracks like &#8220;The Drum Thing&#8221; (John Coltrane) and timpani on &#8220;Psalm&#8221; (John Coltrane) to riveted cymbals and flipping his drumsticks around to use the butt end, Jones carefully chose gear to give him the sounds he wanted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Polyrhythms were rare in jazz<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>How many jazz drummers can you name from Elvin Jones&#8217; time who were playing polyrhythms? One of Jones&#8217; favorites was to play 3 beat phrases in a 4 beat context (like in &#8220;Impressions&#8221; by John Coltrane).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155224\/polyrhythm.svg\" alt=\"elvin jones jazz polyrhythms\" class=\"wp-image-37419\" width=\"840\" height=\"104\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An example of an Elvin Jones-style polyrhythm.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Or in the bridge of &#8220;A Love Supreme&#8221;:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"A Love Supreme, Pt. II - Resolution\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hIZFqMR1cuM?start=216&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He also incorporated hemiolas* into his drumming &#8211; rare for the time and style as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;People are never going to approach the drum set correctly if they don&#8217;t start thinking of it as a single musical instrument. If you learn it piecemeal, that&#8217;s the way you&#8217;re going to play it. You have to learn it in total.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(*Hemiola is where three beats of equal value take up the space where two beats would typically fall.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. His grooves and time were masterful<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It was once said that &#8220;Elvin loosened up the time and opened up the music,&#8221; and it&#8217;s this relaxed sense that set him apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Drummers still talk about his grooves about to this day, especially his trademark &#8216;afro waltz&#8217;, which can be heard on multiple songs Jones tracked with artists like John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155222\/afro-waltz.svg\" alt=\"elvin jones afro waltz notation\" class=\"wp-image-37418\" width=\"841\" height=\"277\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elvin Jones&#8217; famous &#8216;afro waltz&#8217;.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Out Of This World\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6aKHMd_jESI?start=9&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>His Latin and Afro-Cuban-inspired grooves set him apart in the jazz world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to his power and volume on tunes like &#8220;Shiny Stockings&#8221; (Elvin Jones and Richard Davis) and how &#8220;The Trip&#8221; by Art Pepper features all four limbs in the intro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155221\/artpepper.svg\" alt=\"art pepper elvin jones drum notation\" class=\"wp-image-37417\" width=\"840\" height=\"143\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An excerpt of Elvin Jones&#8217; drumming with Art Pepper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. His drum solos were explosive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Elvin Jones built his rudimental chops in the US Army band, and they made their way into his mind-blowing drum solos. Jones&#8217; go-to rudiment was the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/single-paradiddle-diddle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">paradiddle-diddle<\/a>, moving between the ride and snare drum or around the toms (like on &#8220;Pursuance&#8221; by John Coltrane).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155219\/paradiddlediddle.svg\" alt=\"paradiddle diddle elvin jones drum notation\" class=\"wp-image-37415\" width=\"841\" height=\"83\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This is just one way Elvin Jones would play paradiddle-diddles on the drum set.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Nowadays people <em>flock <\/em>to players with linear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/how-to-practice-drum-chops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">drum chops<\/a>, but it wasn&#8217;t always that way. Jones was sometimes criticized for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/tony-royster-linear-drumming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">linear drumming<\/a> that made up a big part of his vocabulary. Listen to &#8220;The Drum Thing&#8221; by John Coltrane and you&#8217;ll hear Jones often doing it in groups of threes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jones often used RLK and LRK (practice your rudiments leading with both hands, people!). If you like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/how-to-play-triplets-like-bonham\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">John Bonham&#8217;s triplets<\/a> or you&#8217;re a fan of Carmine Appice and Ginger Baker, they might have got their heavy triplets from Elvin Jones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/drumeoblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/beat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/13155217\/triplets.svg\" alt=\"elvin jones triplets drum notation\" class=\"wp-image-37414\" width=\"842\" height=\"352\" title=\"\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Some Elvin Jones-style triplet orchestrations on the kit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Jones would incorporate wide open flams between drums, throw in chaotic tom flurries and rail on the cymbals like there was no tomorrow &#8211; but he could still play softly when the song called for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d5vm1S84Kz4?start=9\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You could always tell when he was ending a drum solo because he&#8217;d play a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/multiple-bounce-roll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">buzz roll<\/a> on the snare drum and vigorously nod his head (a great way to signal to the band when you&#8217;re about to wrap up).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Elvin Jones was a captivating and creative force behind the drums. If you enjoyed this breakdown of his playing, Drumeo members get access to notation and practice tools (to loop\/slow down sections) for all of the tracks mentioned here. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Click here to try Drumeo free for 7 days!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p><iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Elvin Jones was one of jazz&#8217;s most influential drummers. But why?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":37525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4019],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drummers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37385"}],"version-history":[{"count":48,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37385\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47302,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37385\/revisions\/47302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drumeo.com\/beat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}