# Willie Jones III

Willie Jones III (born June 8, 1968, in Los Angeles, California) is a jazz drummer. He has played, toured, and recorded with Horace Silver, Roy Hargrove, Hank Jones, Cedar Walton, and Herbie Hancock. He played on Arturo Sandoval'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."
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, where he took drum lessons from Albert "Tootie" Heath. Jones played with Milt Jackson in 1994, and toured with trumpeter Arturo Sandoval 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' 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 since 2010.
In 2014, Jones filed a lawsuit against California rapper Kendrick Lamar 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

| Year recorded | Title | Label | Personnel/Notes With Black Note |
| 1991 | 43rd & Degnan | World Stage | With Black Note |
| 1993 | L.A. Underground | Red | With Black Note |
| 1994 | Jungle Music | Columbia | With Black Note |
| 1996 | Nothin' but the Swing | Impulse! | With Black Note |
| 1996–99 | Vol. 1...Straight Swingin' | WJ3 | |
| 2001 | Vol. 2...Don't Knock The Swing | WJ3 | |
| 2006 | Vol. III | WJ3 | |
| 2009 | The Next Phase | WJ3 | |
| 2012 | Willie Jones III Sextet Plays The Max Roach Songbook | WJ3 | In concert |
| 2016* | Groundwork | WJ3 | |
| 2017* | My Point Is... | WJ3 | |

### As sideman

| Year recorded | Leader | Title | Label | Year released |
| 1994 | Kei Akagi | Mirror Puzzle | AudioQuest | 1994 |
| 1998 | Ryan Kisor | The Usual Suspects | Lightyear | 1998 |
| 1998 | Arturo Sandoval | Hot House | N2K | 1998 |
| 1998 | Horace Silver | Jazz Has a Sense of Humor | Verve | 1999 |
| 1999 | Roy Hargrove | Moment to Moment | Verve | 2000 |
| 2001 | Peter Beets | New York Trio | Criss Cross Jazz | 2001 |
| 2001 | Jesse van Ruller | Here and There | Criss Cross Jazz | 2002 |
| 2002 | Peter Beets | New York Trio – Page Two | Criss Cross Jazz | 2003 |
| 2005 | Harold Mabern | Somewhere Over the Rainbow | Venus | 2006 |
| 2005 | Peter Zak | For Tomorrow | SteepleChase | 2007 |
| 2007 | Houston Person | Thinking of You | HighNote | 2007 |
| 2008? | Ryan Kisor | Conception: Cool and Hot | Birds | 2008 |
| 2009 | Cedar Walton | Voices Deep Within | HighNote | 2009 |
| 2010 | Houston Person | Moment to Moment | HighNote | 2010 |
| 2011 | Cedar Walton | The Bouncer | HighNote | 2011 |
| 2013 | Peter Zak | The Disciple | SteepleChase | 2014 |
| 2022? | Ron Jackson | Standards and My Songs | Roni Music | 2022 |