Elvin Jones Archives - Modern Drummer Magazine

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…

By Donn Bennett
Sep 30, 2021

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…

Modern Drummer
Feb 26, 2021

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…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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.…

Modern Drummer
Aug 1, 2020

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,…

Modern Drummer
Jul 9, 2020

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. TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15% Digital Monthly Magazine…

by Mark Stryker
Jun 11, 2019

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…

Documented by Ken Micallef | Photos by Paul La Raia
Mar 29, 2018

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: LOG IN…

Entries written by Adam Budofsky, Michael Dawson, and Michael Parillo
Feb 1, 2018

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: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month…

by Robyn Flans
Oct 19, 2017

Drum Soloist - Elvin Jones: "Crisis"

From the album Ready For Freddie (Blue Note 84085), by Freddie Hubbard.     TO READ THE FULL STORY: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year SAVE 15% Digital Monthly Magazine 47 Years of Archives (500+ Issues) 40+…

Transcribed by Jean-Etienne Roch
Oct 19, 2017

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…

Reader Responses
May 31, 2017

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: LOG IN Digital Access $4.99 /month…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017

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…

John Xepoleas
Feb 23, 2017

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…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017

Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills

Jazz Drummer’s Workshop Elvin Jones-Style Triplet Fills Part 3: More Two-Bar Patterns by John Xepoleas Welcome to the third and final lesson in our series on creating Elvin Jones–style triplet fills. This time we’re creating high-energy two-bar fills. Let’s begin…

Modern Drummer
Feb 23, 2017