Trailblazing musician Elayne Jones dies at 94 Timpani virtuoso was a pioneering woman of color Elayne Jones, a trailblazer in the world of orchestral percussion and a Rossmoor resident since 2005, died Dec. 17. She was 94. As a woman of color in the symphonic and operatic worlds on both U.S. coasts, she broke racial and gender barriers and gained fame as a virtuoso on timpani, or kettle drums.