Some compare him to a growling, caged tiger, others to the throbbing motor of his own Jazz Machine. Whichever may be: Elvin Jones, the drummer of all drummers also makes a lot of verbal noise while punishing his drums and cymbals. All of this probably relates to the subdued force Jones displays during his playing. People playing with Jones will have to do their utmost best or risk getting a handful of sticks thrown at their heads. Elvin Jones will always be the man who so relentlessly kept sax player John Coltrane on his toes in the early 1960s. The John Coltrane Quartet, whipped up by Jones, is known as one of the tightest and most swinging formations of all time. For years Elvin Jones, the younger brother of pianist Hank Jones and trumpet player Thad Jones, has been leading the successful band Jazz Machine, a formation that also had the sax player Ravi Coltrane - yes, son of - in their ranks for some time.
