Willie Jones III (born June 8, 1968 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, California) is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

drummer. He has played, toured, and recorded with

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

, Roy Hargrove, Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock. He played on

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his f ...

's Grammy-winning album ''Hot House'' (1998).

Early life

Jones' father, also named Willie Jones, was a pianist, composer and arranger, who moved to Los Angeles from Jacksonville in 1961. By the time Jones was born, his father "was gigging locally and working as a vocal coach for entertainers, including

Ann-Margret Ann-Margret Olsson (born April 28, 1941) is a Swedish–American actress, singer, and dancer. As an actress and singer, she is credited as Ann-Margret. She is known for her roles in '' Pocketful of Miracles'' (1961), ''State Fair'' (1962), '' ...

." Willie Jones III was born on June 8, 1968, in Los Angeles. Jones reported that he wanted to be a jazz musician from the age of seven.

Later life and career

Jones was one of the founding members of the band Black Note in 1990. Members of this ensemble included, at various times, Ark Sano, Eric Reed, Gilbert Castellanos, James Mahone, Kenneth Crouch, Mark Shelby, and Richard E. Grant. They released several albums. In 1991, Jones began studying at the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

, where he took drum lessons from Albert "Tootie" Heath. Jones played with Milt Jackson in 1994, and toured with trumpeter

from 1994 to 1998. Jones was based in Los Angeles until he moved to New York in 1997. He played in trumpeter Roy Hargrove's quintet from 1998 to 2006. In 2000, Jones founded an independent jazz label, WJ3 Records. He said in 2017 that "It's a self-investment, ..I'm not making a profit, but I'm not losing any money. I've become more proficient at putting out each project." He has regularly played with pianist Eric Reed, as the drummer for

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

' Jazz at Lincoln Center, and has several CDs released as a leader on his own label, playing hard bop and swing. Jones has taught at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

since 2010. In 2014, Jones filed a lawsuit against California rapper

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

for allegedly sampling "The Thorn" illegally in Lamar's song "Rigamortus".

Playing style

Guitarist Russell Malone commented in 2017 that, "Some drummers can't get through two bars of music without trying to do something cute and slick, but with Willie, the time and the groove is not an afterthought. He's aware of each component of the song – the melody, the changes and the form. I like to incorporate different grooves into my things, and Willie does not turn up his nose at them. He knows ''exactly'' what to do."

Discography

An asterisk (*) indicates that the year is that of release.

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Willie III 1968 births American jazz drummers Post-bop drummers Living people 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians Black Note members WJ3 Records artists