[1] He is known for playing and recording with Thelonious Monk, Lester Young, Elmo Hope, and Charles Mingus.
[2]: 212 Jones also played with Kenny Dorham, J. J. Johnson, Charlie Parker, and Cecil Payne in the mid-1950s.
[1] In 1955–56 Jones was part of Charles Mingus' Jazz Workshop,[1] and was the drummer in the bassist's band that recorded Pithecanthropus Erectus, which helped develop a freer form of group improvisation.
[3]: 1001 Jones was tenor saxophonist Lester Young's drummer from late 1956 to early 1959.
[1] These associations – with the traditional Young and the avant-garde Sun Ra – illustrated Jones' versatility.