Roy Haynes

Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer and group leader. Haynes is among the most recorded drummers in jazz, and in a career lasting more than 70 years has played in a wide range of styles ranging from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz. He has a highly expressive, personal style ("Snap Crackle" was a nickname given him in the 1950s) and is known to foster a deep engagement in his bandmates.

He has also led his own groups, some performing under the name Hip Ensemble. His most recent recordings as a leader are Fountain of Youth and Whereas, both of which have been nominated for a Grammy Award. He continues to perform worldwide and was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1999. His son Graham Haynes is a cornetist; his son Craig Haynes and grandson Marcus Gilmore are both drummers.

Early career

Born in the Roxbury section of Boston, Massachusetts, Haynes made his professional debut in 1944 at the age of seventeen in his native Boston.

Haynes began his full-time professional career in 1945. From 1947 to 1949 he worked with saxophonist Lester Young, and from 1949 to 1952 was a member of saxophonist Charlie Parker's quintet. He also recorded at the time with pianist Bud Powell and saxophonists Wardell Gray and Stan Getz. From 1953 to 1958 he toured with singer Sarah Vaughan and also recorded with her.

Later career

Haynes's influence on the rock world has also been apparent, with a tribute song recorded by Jim Keltner and Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, and on-stage appearances with the Allman Brothers Band in 2006 and Page McConnell of Phish in 2008.

In 2008 Haynes appeared in Grand Theft Auto IV as himself radio station JNR.

A 3 CD/1 DVD boxed set entitled A Life in Time - The Roy Haynes Story was released by Dreyfus Jazz in October 2007. The set chronicles highlights from Haynes career from 1949 to 2006, including recordings with Parker, Vaughan, Davis, Monk, Corea, Metheny and his own Hip Ensemble and Fountain of Youth quartet. The set was listed by The New Yorker Magazine as one of the Best Boxed Sets of 2007, and was nominated for an award by the Jazz Journalist's Association.

WKCR-FM, New York, surveyed Haynes's career in 301 hours of programming, January 11–23, 2009.

On April 21, 2016, at the age of 91, Haynes performed drums on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, accompanied by Jon Batiste and Stay Human (band).

Technique

Haynes extracted the rhythmic qualities from melodies and created unique new drum and cymbal patterns in an idiosyncratic, now instantly recognizable style. Rather than using cymbals strictly for effect, Haynes brought them to the forefront of his unique rhythmic approach. He also established a distinctively crisp and rapid-fire sound on the snare; this was the inspiration for his nickname, ‘Snap Crackle’.

Endorsements

Haynes endorses Yamaha drums, pedals and hardware, Zildjian cymbals and Remo drumheads. He also uses his Zildjian Roy Haynes signature drumstick and has a Yamaha Roy Haynes signature snare drum. In the past, he endorsed Ludwig and Slingerland and he has been photographed playing Latin Percussion, notably congas. Haynes had used Paiste flat rides in the past, thus indicating he may have endorsed Paiste at some stage.

Awards and honors

Esquire named Roy Haynes one of the Best Dressed Men in America in 1960, along with Fred Astaire, Miles Davis, Clark Gable, and Cary Grant.

In 1994, he was awarded the prestigious Danish Jazzpar prize, and in 1996 the French government recognized Haynes as a knight, decorating him with the prestigious "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres," France's top literary and artistic honor. Haynes received honorary doctorates from the Berklee College of Music (1991), and The New England Conservatory (2004), as well as a Peabody Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, in 2012. He was inducted into the Down Beat Magazine Hall of Fame in 2004. On October 9, 2010, Roy Haynes was awarded the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation's BNY Mellon Jazz Living Legacy Award at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. On December 22, 2010, Haynes was named a recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Haynes received the award at the Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception of the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards on February 12, 2011.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

• 1954: Busman's Holiday
• 1954: Roy Haynes Modern Group
• 1956: Jazz Abroad (Mercury) split album with Quincy Jones
• 1958: We Three (New Jazz) with Paul Chambers & Phineas Newborn
• 1960: Just Us (New Jazz)
• 1962: Out of the Afternoon (Impulse!)
• 1963: Cracklin' (New Jazz) with Booker Ervin
• 1963: Cymbalism (New Jazz)
• 1964: People
• 1971: Hip Ensemble (Mainstream)
• 1972: Equipoise (Reissue of Hip Ensemble with 1 additional track, Roy's Tune)
• 1973: Senyah (Mainstream)
• 1975: Togyu (RCA)
• 1976: Jazz a Confronto Vol. 29 (Horo)
• 1976: Sugar Roy (Kitty)
• 1977: Thank You Thank You (Galaxy)
• 1977: Vistalite (Galaxy)
• 1979: Live at the Riverbop (Marge)
• 1986: True or False (Freelance)
• 1992: Homecoming
• 1992: When It's Haynes It Roars
• 1994: My Shining Hour
• 1994: Te Vou! (with Pat Metheny)
• 1998: Praise
• 2000: The Roy Haynes Trio
• 2000: Roy Haynes
• 2001: Birds of a Feather: A Tribute to Charlie Parker (with Roy Hargrove, Dave Holland and Kenny Garrett)
• 2003: Love Letters
• 2004: Fountain of Youth
• 2004: Quiet Fire (reissue of Thank You Thank You and Vistalite)
• 2006: Whereas
• 2007: A Life in Time: The Roy Haynes Story (3CD-1DVD Boxed Set, 1949–2006)
• 2011: Roy-Alty

As sideman

• 1949: Meet Milt Jackson (Milt Jackson)
• 1949: The Amazing Bud Powell (Bud Powell)
• 1949: Modern Jazz Trombones (Kai Winding)
• 1950: Bird at St. Nick's (Charlie Parker)
• 1950: Stan Getz Quartets, The Complete Roost Recordings (Stan Getz)
• 1951: Miles Davis and Horns (Miles Davis)
• 1952: Memorial Album (Wardell Gray)
• 1954: Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (Sarah Vaughan)
• 1954: Vibist (Cal Tjader)
• 1954: I Only Have Eyes For Shu (Eddie Shu)
• 1954-1957: Swingin' Easy (Sarah Vaughan)
• 1955: In the Land of Hi-Fi (Sarah Vaughan)
• 1955: Introducing Nat Adderley (Nat Adderley)
• 1956: Modern Music from Chicago (Red Rodney)
• 1957: The Sound of Sonny (Sonny Rollins)
• 1958: After Hours at the London House (Sarah Vaughan)
• 1958: Thelonious in Action (Thelonious Monk)
• 1958: Misterioso (Thelonious Monk)
• 1958: Portrait of Art Farmer (Art Farmer)
• 1958: Brass & Trio (Sonny Rollins)
• 1958: In a Minor Groove (Dorothy Ashby)
• 1958: In the Vernacular (John Handy)
• 1958: Latin Affair (George Shearing)
• 1959: Live at the Five Spot (Randy Weston)
• 1959: A Night at the Vanguard (Kenny Burrell)
• 1959: Piano Portraits by Phineas Newborn (Phineas Newborn, Jr.)
• 1959: The Sonny Side of Stitt (Sonny Stitt)
• 1959: I Love a Piano (Phineas Newborn, Jr.)
• 1959: You and Lee (Lee Konitz)
• 1960: Outward Bound (Eric Dolphy)
• 1960: Far Cry (Eric Dolphy)
• 1960: Soul Street (Jimmy Forrest)
• 1960: Soul Battle (Oliver Nelson, King Curtis & Jimmy Forrest)
• 1960: Something Nice (Etta Jones)
• 1960: Singin' & Swingin' (Betty Roché)
• 1960: The Tommy Flanagan Trio (Tommy Flanagan)
• 1960: Stittsville, Sonny Side Up (Sonny Stitt)
• 1960: The Great Kai & J. J. (Kai Winding & J. J. Johnson)
• 1960: Taking Care of Business (Oliver Nelson)
• 1960: Trane Whistle (Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis)
• 1961: Here's Jaki, Out Front! (Jaki Byard)
• 1961: Plenty of Horn (Ted Curson)
• 1961: Focus (Stan Getz)
• 1961: The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy (Steve Lacy)
• 1961: The Blues and the Abstract Truth (Oliver Nelson)
• 1962: The Song Is Paris (Jackie Paris)
• 1962: Stitt in Orbit (Sonny Stitt)
• 1962: Domino (Roland Kirk)
• 1962: Reaching Fourth (McCoy Tyner)
• 1962: Ted Curson Plays Fire Down Below (Ted Curson)
• 1962: Bossa Nova Plus (Willis Jackson)
• 1963: Black Fire (Andrew Hill)
• 1963: Yo Ho! Poor You, Little Me (Frank Wess)
• 1963: Smokestack (Andrew Hill)
• 1963: Newport '63 (John Coltrane)
• 1963: Destination... Out! (Jackie McLean)
• 1964: It's Time! (Jackie McLean)
• 1964: Blue Spoon (Jimmy Witherspoon)
• 1966: Tennessee Firebird (Gary Burton)
• 1966: The Stan Getz Quartet in Paris (Stan Getz)
• 1967: Duster (Gary Burton)
• 1968: What the World Needs Now: Stan Getz Plays Burt Bacharach and Hal David (Stan Getz)
• 1968: The Way Ahead (Archie Shepp)
• 1968: Now He Sings, Now He Sobs (Chick Corea)
• 1968: The DeJohnette Complex (Jack DeJohnette)
• 1969: In the World (Clifford Jordan)
• 1969: Black, Brown and Beautiful (Oliver Nelson)
• 1969: Country Roads & Other Places (Gary Burton)
• 1971: Under Fire (Gato Barbieri)
• 1974: All The Things We Are (Dave Brubeck)
• 1975: Misty Thursday (Duke Jordan)
• 1976: Trinity (Tommy Flanagan)
• 1976: Live in Japan (Duke Jordan)
• 1976: Flight to Japan (Duke Jordan)
• 1976: How Deep, How High (Warne Marsh)
• 1977: Baritone Madness (Nick Brignola Sextet with Pepper Adams)
• 1978: Manhattan Project (Dizzy Reece)
• 1978: Birds and Ballads (Johnny Griffin)
• 1978: Blowin' Away (Dizzy Reece and Ted Curson)
• 1978: Times Square (Gary Burton)
• 1978: Equinox (Red Garland)
• 1978: Transfiguration (Alice Coltrane)
• 1978: Ain't Misbehavin' (Hank Jones)
• 1978: Equipoise (Stanley Cowell)
• 1978: Neo/Nistico (Sal Nistico)
• 1978: Lady Bird (Archie Shepp)
• 1979: The Trio (Ted Curson)
• 1983: Trio Music (Chick Corea)
• 1984: Trio Music Live in Europe (Chick Corea)
• 1987: Live in Montreaux (Chick Corea)
• 1987: Blues for Coltrane (McCoy Tyner) (Grammy Winner)
• 1989: Question and Answer (Pat Metheny)
• 1994: Wanton Spirit (trio led by Kenny Barron with Charlie Haden)
• 1996: Flamingo (Michel Petrucciani & Stephane Grappelli)
• 1996: Remembering Bud Powell (Chick Corea)
• 1998: Like Minds (Gary Burton, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Pat Metheny)
• 2011: Sonny Rollins–Road Shows vol. 2 (Sonny Rollins)