Barbadian master drummer and 2011 Grammy Award winner, Roy Haynes, will be performing at the scenic Naniki Restaurant in St Joseph on May 29 from 1 p.m.to 6 p.m. in a special all-Bajan concert.
The other two acts will be Barbadian New York-based concert pianist Neil Walker and Barbadian Archie Alleyne and his group Kollage from Canada.
Haynes, 86, has in his seven decades of performing, established himself as the quintessential jazz drummer, having played with virtually all of the most notable jazz musicians while being involved in some of the biggest transitions in the history of the idiom.
His light, expressive style has fit a multitude of musical circumstances, from the swing of Lester Young, the bebop of Charlie Parker, the raucousness of John Coltrane, to the modern jazz innovations of Chick Corea and Pat Metheny.
Born in the Roxbury section of Boston to Barbadian parents, Haynes was introduced to music in the church, where his father was an organist.
He began playing local gigs when he was 20, and in 1947 joined saxophonist Lester Young’s band. Young’s distinctive tone and melodic improvisational approach was a heavy influence on Charlie “Bird” Parker, with whom Haynes began to play when Parker was developing bebop in the late 1940s.
Being the top call drummer for jazz musicians who sought to create forward-thinking music became a trend in Haynes’ career.
In the 1950s he worked with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk, and in the 1960s substituted for Elvin Jones in Coltrane’s quartet.
He also worked with Lennie Tristano and Stan Getz, among other musicians who presented alternatives to bebop.
Haynes’ adaptability and sparse style has made him one of the most recorded artists in jazz.
Today, he continues to perform with top musicians young and old. In September of 2007, he performed with the reclusive saxophone legend Sonny Rollins and young bassist Christian McBride at Carnegie Hall to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rollins’ debut there in 1957.
Haynes’ latest release, A Life In Time: The Roy Haynes Story, is a three-CD box set that chronicles the drummer’s storied career.
He spent much of 2010 in Europe, performing with his band and pianist, Chick Corea, and recorded a new CD for the Dreyfus label, along with his ensemble and Corea, plus special Young Lion guest trumpeter Roy Hargrove.
In February this year, the Recording Academy which organises the Grammy Awards, presented Haynes with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Known as one of the sharpest dressers in jazz, as well as an automobile aficionado, he is also the recipient of a “living legacy” award presented at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. last year. (PR)
