Willie Jones, III

Willie Jones III (born June 8, 1968, 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).
Jones has released several albums with his group Black Note, whose members have included Ark Sano, Eric Reed, Gilbert Castellanos, James Mahone, Kenneth Crouch, Mark Shelby, and Richard E. Grant.
He is appreciated by jazz musicians for his exceptional speed and control, together with his use of a wide range of textures which characterize most of his playing. He is a master of many styles and moves quickly and easily between be-bop, big band, avante guard, and Latin jazz grooves. 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.
In 2000, Jones founded an independent jazz label, WJ3 Records.
In 2014, Jones filed a lawsuit against California rapper Kendrick Lamar for allegedly sampling "The Thorn" illegally in Lamar's song "Rigamortis".

• Vol. 1...Straight Swingin' (WJ3, 2001)
• Vol. 2...Don't Knock The Swing (WJ3, 2003)
• Vol. III (WJ3, 2006)
• The Next Phase (WJ3, 2010)
• Willie Jones III Sextet Plays The Max Roach Songbook (WJ3, 2013)
• Groundwork (WJ3, 2016)

With Black Note

• 43rd & Degnan (World Stage, 1991)
• L.A. Underground (Red, 1993)
• Jungle Music (Columbia, 1994)
• Nothin' But The Swing (Impulse!, 1996)

As sideman