The innovative musician, who spans the entire history of popular jazz from Louis Armstrong to today's young stars, precedes his 80th birthday with a banner year - induction into the DownBeat Hall Of Fame; two Honorary Doctorates; two Drummer Of The Year distinctions; on-going world tours; and a fiery, critically acclaimed new album, 'Fountain Of Youth.'
Roy Haynes will turn 80 on March 13, 2005, but he is far from showing any signs of slowing down. “I'm one of the last innovators from the '40s who's still out there saying something new," he explains, on a short break from a schedule that includes nearly fifty appearances each year. Defying both mother nature and father time, seventy-nine-year-old Roy Haynes keeps on trucking, leading a band of fiery up-and-comers young enough to be his grandchildren. He also continues to collect honors, some of which seem long overdue.
It was Roy Haynes' clever, joyous rhythmic concept that helped to expand the borders of Jazz, navigating it towards greater freedom and more distinctive expression. What other living Jazz musician can claim to have played with Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Lennie Tristano, Stan Getz, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny? It could easily be said that Haynes embodies the living history of America's truly original art form - Jazz.
Over the past year, Roy Haynes has been widely recognized both as an important historical figure, and as a vital and relevant musician of today. In August, Haynes became the 101st inductee into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. This year's DownBeat Critics Poll awarded him their prestigious Drummer of the Year plaque, as did the Jazz Journalists Association. He also received honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory.
In February, Roy Haynes released a vibrant new recording, Fountain of Youth (Dreyfus Jazz). A blistering live disc featuring his youthful band, it is already considered to be one of his finest works. Fountain of Youth provides august testimony that the eternally youthful Haynes is still one of the most essential voices in Jazz music (His previous Dreyfus Jazz recording, Birds of a Feather received a Grammy nomination in 2003).
The critics quickly sang its praises: “As Fountain of Youth so exuberantly captures, Roy Haynes is one of the seven wonders of modern jazz," Dan Ouellette wrote in Billboard. And the LA Times' Don Heckman felt that “the title is right on target. Haynes plays with the same sort of brisk vitality that characterized his work with Charlie Parker more than 50 years ago." Russ Musto wrote in the All About Jazz newspaper that the recording is “perhaps the best, most representative documentation of his increasingly important role as a leader."
One of the few jazz musicians alive today whose roots touch the origins of jazz itself, the drum legend has been “hard swinging" since 1944, when he made his professional debut at the age of seventeen in his native Boston. In the last sixty years, Roy Owen Haynes has shaped some of the most important recordings in Jazz history, transforming the role of the percussionist from timekeeper to front-line collaborator.
Before the innovations of Jo Jones, Sid Catlett, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Roy Haynes, Jazz drummers were timekeepers. These percussion masters redefined the role of the drummer. Haynes in particular, extracted the rhythmic qualities from melodies and created unique new drum and cymbal patterns. Rather than using cymbals strictly for effect, Haynes brought them to the forefront of his unique rhythmic approach. His idiosyncratic style, now instantly recognizable, was the inspiration for his nickname, 'Snap Crackle'.
Roy's fellow musicians have also expressed their respect and admiration for his work. Thelonious Monk once described Roy Haynes' drumming as “an eight ball right in the side pocket." Jack DeJohnette feels that Roy's percussive journeys are “a rare combination of street education, high sophistication and soul." Pat Metheny says Haynes is the “father of modern drumming," while Chick Corea believes that he's “a national treasure."
Roy Haynes' recent honors add to a long list of special achievements and accolades including the JAZZPAR Prize in '94, the French Chevalier des l'Ordes Artes et des Letters in '96, Zildjian's American Drummer's Achievement Award in '98, and the Percussion Arts Society Hall of Fame Award in '99. Roy has topped the Drummer of The Year category in the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls for the last several years.
On the way to becoming a Jazz icon, Haynes acquired a family, which now includes quite a few grandchildren, Doberman pinschers, a number of sports cars, and a reputation as being one of the best dressed men in America. In fact, Esquire named him one of the Best Dressed Men in America in 1960, along with Fred Astaire, Clark Gable and Cary Grant, no doubt a result of his custom-made suits, Italian shoes, sharp hats, and attitude.
With his shaved head and compact, lean muscular body, Haynes looks decades younger than he is. Face to face, one cannot help being struck by his robust laugh, which comes quite easily, or his quick mind, which can also be quite challenging.
Reflecting on his remarkable life as he prepares for his week-long run at the Blue Note (Oct. 5th -10th) in New York City, Haynes appreciates all the recent attention. “It helps to motivate me," he reports, “and it's a great feeling to know that you're doing something you love, and that people are really loving it as well."
Haynes admits that the idea of soon turning eighty “kicks my ass, sometimes, but I don't want to look back, I'm about moving forward. When I wake up and see the sun shining to start another beautiful day, that inspires me, just like Art Tatum and Coleman Hawkins did. And when I'm on the bandstand, that's my religion, and I try to give it all I can. I have no beats to waste."
See Roy Haynes in person:
Oct. 5 - 10, '04:
Blue Note; New York, NY
Nov. 13, '04:
Freeport-Macmoran Theatre at Contemporary Arts Center;
New Orleans, LA
Dec. 02, '04:
TriBeCa Performing Arts Center; New York, NY
Jan. 07, '05:
International Assoc. of Jazz Educators (IAJE)
Conference, Long Beach, CA
Feb. 27, '05:
Comstock Concert Hall at University Of Louisville;
Louisville, KY
Mar. 11, '05:
Flynn Center For The Performing Arts; Burlington, VT
Mar. 12, '05:
Kennedy Center; Washington, DC
Roy Haynes will turn 80 on March 13, 2005, but he is far from showing any signs of slowing down. “I'm one of the last innovators from the '40s who's still out there saying something new," he explains, on a short break from a schedule that includes nearly fifty appearances each year. Defying both mother nature and father time, seventy-nine-year-old Roy Haynes keeps on trucking, leading a band of fiery up-and-comers young enough to be his grandchildren. He also continues to collect honors, some of which seem long overdue.
It was Roy Haynes' clever, joyous rhythmic concept that helped to expand the borders of Jazz, navigating it towards greater freedom and more distinctive expression. What other living Jazz musician can claim to have played with Louis Armstrong, Lester Young, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Sarah Vaughan, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Lennie Tristano, Stan Getz, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny? It could easily be said that Haynes embodies the living history of America's truly original art form - Jazz.
Over the past year, Roy Haynes has been widely recognized both as an important historical figure, and as a vital and relevant musician of today. In August, Haynes became the 101st inductee into the DownBeat Hall of Fame. This year's DownBeat Critics Poll awarded him their prestigious Drummer of the Year plaque, as did the Jazz Journalists Association. He also received honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory.
In February, Roy Haynes released a vibrant new recording, Fountain of Youth (Dreyfus Jazz). A blistering live disc featuring his youthful band, it is already considered to be one of his finest works. Fountain of Youth provides august testimony that the eternally youthful Haynes is still one of the most essential voices in Jazz music (His previous Dreyfus Jazz recording, Birds of a Feather received a Grammy nomination in 2003).
The critics quickly sang its praises: “As Fountain of Youth so exuberantly captures, Roy Haynes is one of the seven wonders of modern jazz," Dan Ouellette wrote in Billboard. And the LA Times' Don Heckman felt that “the title is right on target. Haynes plays with the same sort of brisk vitality that characterized his work with Charlie Parker more than 50 years ago." Russ Musto wrote in the All About Jazz newspaper that the recording is “perhaps the best, most representative documentation of his increasingly important role as a leader."
One of the few jazz musicians alive today whose roots touch the origins of jazz itself, the drum legend has been “hard swinging" since 1944, when he made his professional debut at the age of seventeen in his native Boston. In the last sixty years, Roy Owen Haynes has shaped some of the most important recordings in Jazz history, transforming the role of the percussionist from timekeeper to front-line collaborator.
Before the innovations of Jo Jones, Sid Catlett, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Roy Haynes, Jazz drummers were timekeepers. These percussion masters redefined the role of the drummer. Haynes in particular, extracted the rhythmic qualities from melodies and created unique new drum and cymbal patterns. Rather than using cymbals strictly for effect, Haynes brought them to the forefront of his unique rhythmic approach. His idiosyncratic style, now instantly recognizable, was the inspiration for his nickname, 'Snap Crackle'.
Roy's fellow musicians have also expressed their respect and admiration for his work. Thelonious Monk once described Roy Haynes' drumming as “an eight ball right in the side pocket." Jack DeJohnette feels that Roy's percussive journeys are “a rare combination of street education, high sophistication and soul." Pat Metheny says Haynes is the “father of modern drumming," while Chick Corea believes that he's “a national treasure."
Roy Haynes' recent honors add to a long list of special achievements and accolades including the JAZZPAR Prize in '94, the French Chevalier des l'Ordes Artes et des Letters in '96, Zildjian's American Drummer's Achievement Award in '98, and the Percussion Arts Society Hall of Fame Award in '99. Roy has topped the Drummer of The Year category in the DownBeat Critics and Readers Polls for the last several years.
On the way to becoming a Jazz icon, Haynes acquired a family, which now includes quite a few grandchildren, Doberman pinschers, a number of sports cars, and a reputation as being one of the best dressed men in America. In fact, Esquire named him one of the Best Dressed Men in America in 1960, along with Fred Astaire, Clark Gable and Cary Grant, no doubt a result of his custom-made suits, Italian shoes, sharp hats, and attitude.
With his shaved head and compact, lean muscular body, Haynes looks decades younger than he is. Face to face, one cannot help being struck by his robust laugh, which comes quite easily, or his quick mind, which can also be quite challenging.
Reflecting on his remarkable life as he prepares for his week-long run at the Blue Note (Oct. 5th -10th) in New York City, Haynes appreciates all the recent attention. “It helps to motivate me," he reports, “and it's a great feeling to know that you're doing something you love, and that people are really loving it as well."
Haynes admits that the idea of soon turning eighty “kicks my ass, sometimes, but I don't want to look back, I'm about moving forward. When I wake up and see the sun shining to start another beautiful day, that inspires me, just like Art Tatum and Coleman Hawkins did. And when I'm on the bandstand, that's my religion, and I try to give it all I can. I have no beats to waste."
See Roy Haynes in person:
Oct. 5 - 10, '04:
Blue Note; New York, NY
Nov. 13, '04:
Freeport-Macmoran Theatre at Contemporary Arts Center;
New Orleans, LA
Dec. 02, '04:
TriBeCa Performing Arts Center; New York, NY
Jan. 07, '05:
International Assoc. of Jazz Educators (IAJE)
Conference, Long Beach, CA
Feb. 27, '05:
Comstock Concert Hall at University Of Louisville;
Louisville, KY
Mar. 11, '05:
Flynn Center For The Performing Arts; Burlington, VT
Mar. 12, '05:
Kennedy Center; Washington, DC
For more information contact All About Jazz.
