Elvin Jones; his drumming redefined rhythm in jazz

Elvin Jones, whose relentlessly driving polyrhythms as drummer for the John Coltrane Quartet helped make it one of the most important ensembles in jazz history and himself one of the most influential percussionists, died yesterday in New York City after a long illness. He was 76.

"Elvin Jones' ferocity and originality and subtlety on his instrument changed the nature of jazz drumming," wrote New Yorker critic Whitney Balliett. "Jones' hands and feet seem to have their own minds, yet the total effect is of an unbroken flow that both supports and weaves itself around the soloists."

Mr. Jones's ability to create dense rhythmic textures while maintaining a strong musical pulse -- or, in his case, pulses -- made the drummer an equal partner with the front-line soloists. As never before in jazz, Mr. Jones fully integrated the drums into the act of improvisation. His recorded solos demonstrate a sense of musical architecture comparable to Coltrane's own.

"Playing is a matter of spontaneity and thought, of constant control," Mr. Jones said in Balliett's 1986 book, "American Musicians." "I can see forms and shapes in my mind when I solo, just as a painter can see forms and shapes when he starts a painting."

Yet Mr. Jones never neglected the drums' traditional propulsive function in jazz. The sheer power of his drumming provided a bedrock foundation for Coltrane's famously daring solos on tenor and soprano saxophone.

An irony of Mr. Jones's career is that his remarkable virtuosity often obscured his remarkable musicianship. Equally adept at brushes, mallets, and sticks, Mr. Jones demonstrated an unrivaled dynamic range.

The two signature drummers of hard bop, the predominant jazz style of the 1950s, were Art Blakey and Philly Joe Jones. Blakey possessed a thunderous attack, while Jones brought a lighter, almost dancing style to the drums. Elvin Jones combined their approaches. Few percussionists have ever dominated a drum kit as he did, yet his musical delicacy and mastery of slow tempos are evident throughout such classic Coltrane recordings as "Ballads" and "John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman."

Elvin Ray Jones was born on Sept. 9, 1927, in Pontiac, Mich. The youngest of 10 children, Mr. Jones started playing drums as an adolescent. A member of his school orchestra and marching band, he would practice up to eight hours a day.

"Other kids didn't like to carry the bass drum," he recalled in a 1998 Downbeat interview. "I loved it."

He didn't get his first drum set until 1949, after a three-year Army stint.

The Detroit area was home to a flourishing music scene. Two of Mr. Jones's brothers were on their way to becoming celebrated jazz players: Hank, a pianist, and Thad, a trumpeter. Other young local jazz musicians included pianists Barry Harris and Tommy Flanagan, bassists Paul Chambers and Doug Watkins, guitarist Kenny Burrell, and saxophonist Billy Mitchell.

Mitchell gave Mr. Jones his first job.

Mr. Jones spent the next decade playing with a variety of local and visiting bands. Moving to New York in 1956, he took jobs with pianist Bud Powell, trumpeter Harry Edison, trombonists Tyree Glenn and J. J. Johnson, and tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins.

In 1960, Mr. Jones joined with Coltrane and pianist McCoy Tyner to form the heart of the most influential jazz ensemble of the '60s. (Jimmy Garrison, the group's primary bassist, joined a year later.)

Mr. Jones told Balliett, "It seemed that all my life was a preparation for that period. Right from the beginning to the last time we played together it was something pure. The most impressive thing was a feeling of steady, collective learning. . . . If there is anything like perfect harmony in human relationships, that band was as close as you can come."

After five years, Mr. Jones left the band when Coltrane added an additional drummer, Rashied Ali. He briefly played with Duke Ellington, then led a variety of piano-less small groups. Starting in the 1970s, Mr. Jones added piano or guitar to horns in a succession of ensembles collectively known as the Elvin Jones Jazz Machine.

On the bandstand, Mr. Jones presented a striking presence: ebony skin, impressive shoulders, prominent cheekbones, an even more prominent gap in his teeth, and, invariably, sweat pouring down his face. One writer likened his appearance to that of "a Nubian prince."

Mr. Jones was voted into the Downbeat Hall of Fame in 1998. Five years later, the National Endowment for the Arts named him a Jazz Master.

"I figured that a lot of things drummers were doing with two hands could be done with one," Mr. Jones told Balliett. "What was needed was a flow of rhythm all over the set. I never learned any tricks, anything flashy -- like juggling sticks or throwing them in the air. That kind of thing stops me inside. After all, Artur Rubenstein doesn't play runs on the piano with his chin."

Mr. Jones leaves his wife, Keiko. The couple had homes in New York City and Japan.