Elvin Jones
Modern Drummer is the world’s most widely read drum magazine, is dedicated entirely to the art of drumming and caters to the needs of amateur, semi-pro, and professional drummers.
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
Logo Heads Several years ago, I made the decision to begin selling off my drum collection. I’d spent decades amassing one of the most extensive collections of rare and vintage drums in the world. One of the biggest factors leading…
From the Archives - Elvin Jones
What would Elvin Jones’ drums say if they could talk? How would they describe their relationship with Elvin? Would they speak fondly of the times they have been caressed by their master—the times he has used mallets and brushes to…
The Charleston
The Root Rhythm of Jazz and Beyond The Charleston was a popular dance rhythm during the 1920s that got its name from the popular composition of the same name by pianist/composer James P. Johnson. The syncopated Charleston rhythm is one…
What Was Your First Favorite Drum Record?
Vivid by Living Colour. Will Calhoun plays masterfully and with tons of power. It was perfect: playable but loaded with nuance.Scott Sparks Manu Katché on Peter Gabriel’s Secret World Live. I was around five, and it just blew my mind.…
Donn Bennett’s Drum Vault
Elvin Jones’ Cymbal Collection Elvin Jones was one of the most influential, inspirational, and beloved jazz musicians of all time. Few artists have touched the world as deeply as he did. Though I only briefly met Elvin a couple times,…
Elvin Jones: Philosopher King
Jones took nothing for granted in music or in life. He played every night as if it might be his last.
Roy Haynes, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jack DeJohnette
It was a jazz drumming summit of epic proportions. Roy Haynes, the last of the great drummers of the bebop era; Jack DeJohnette, the most recognizably artful and exploratory drummer of modern times; and Terri Lyne Carrington, TO READ THE…
The 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time
Whose playing endures through the decades? Whose music do we reach for when we want new ideas? When we want to practice? When we want to laugh? Who inspires and delights us most? TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO…
John Densmore - Reflections
In the following interview with the Doors' John Densmore, it is impossible to catch all of his sense of humor or see his very animated way of expressing himself. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Drum Soloist - Elvin Jones: "Crisis"
From the album Ready For Freddie (Blue Note 84085), by Freddie Hubbard. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Favorite 1960s Drum Tracks?
As we were taking a look back at some of the most iconic drummers and performances of 1967 for this month’s cover feature, we wanted to find out which tracks our readers and social media followers felt marked the greatest…
Drum Soloist: Elvin Jones
Elvin Jones needs no introduction to drummers. He reached prominence in the early sixties by way of his pioneering rhythmic concepts behind the late, revered tenor saxophonist John Coltrane. TO READ THE FULL STORY: SUBSCRIBE TO ACCESS LOG IN
Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills, Part 1
In this lesson I’m going to show you how to create high-energy Elvin Jones–style triplet fills based on common jazz rhythmic phrases, like those included in Ted Reed’s classic book Syncopation. This approach was first developed by legendary drummer and…
Elvin Jones–Style Triplet Fills
Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Elvin Jones–Style Triplet Fills Part 2: Orchestrating Accent Patterns by John Xepoleas Welcome to our second lesson covering triplet fills based on the playing of jazz great Elvin Jones, who made a huge impact on drumming as…
