Celebrated jazz drummer , ROY HAYNES died on Tuesday, 12th November. He was aged 99 and his daughter Leslie Haynes-Gilmore said he had died following a short illness.
Haynes enjoyed a long and distinguished career that began in the mid 40’s .Known for his energetic style he worked with many of the jazz “greats” including Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and dozens more.
Hayes also released acclaimed albums as a bandleader like 1962’s ‘Out of the Afternoon’ (with Roland Kirk), and he formed his own band, the Hip Ensemble. Haynes was active up till the Covid pandemic – winning Grammy nominations in 2004 (for his LP ‘Fountain of Youth’) and in 2007 (for ‘Whereas’).
Tributes have flooded in. Pat Metheny, who toured with Haynes in the late 1980s said; “Roy was the human manifestation of whatever it is that the word ‘hip’ was supposed to mean before it just became a word. Always in the moment, always in this time, eternal and classic and at the same time totally nonchalant about it.” Drummer and composer Terri Lyne Carrington said: “Roy’s way of making the drum set more fluid is unparalleled … His playing makes me see other possibilities for myself.”
Haynes is survived by his daughter Leslie, his sons Craig and Graham, the latter a cornetist recognised for his contributions to nu-jazz, and his grandson, the drummer Marcus Gilmore.
