Roy Haynes Bio

Roy Haynes with Fountain of Youth

Roy Haynes, at 87, is no doubt jazz Roy-alty. He's one of the greatest drummers of all time, he's an NEA Jazz Master with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys, he's played with practically every significant jazz artist of note going back to Louis Armstrong, he's produced two sons and a grandson who each are great musicians, and his name even means “king.” But if you asked Roy what he's most proud of, he'd probably say being picked by Esquire magazine in 1960 as one of the best dressed men in America. Because, you know, all these accolades and honors … what are they to a guy who just wants to bring it? Get him behind the drums so he can shake up the world, as he's been doing for 70 years.

That's one thing the Healdsburg audience can count on to happen when Roy takes the stage for the final festival blowout, backed by his Fountain of Youth band of youngsters, plus an offspring or two and special guests. Fellow Jazz Master Sheila Jordan, who's sharing the bill Sunday, is certainly royal in her own right, but she's also close to being Roy-alty, as she's known Roy since they were getting started in the business and was tight with Roy's late wife Lee, mother of Craig and Graham Haynes. Vijay Iyer, the sizzling pianist who's starting off the proceedings Sunday, also must be counted among the Roy-al clan by dint of his years playing with drummer Marcus Gilmore, who happens to be Roy's grandson.

It's a long reach Roy has, and it goes much much farther than the people mentioned here. It truly has to extend to anybody Roy has played with – hundreds of top-level musicians – thanks to the magic that Roy brings every time he sits behind the drum kit. Because Roy isn't just the drummer; he's the guy steering the wheel. As the great bassist and frequent Roy collaborator Dave Holland once said, “You have to be ready to play when you perform with Roy. You have to be ready to have a conversation.”

Roy isn't known for a specific style or pinned to a specific era. Max Roach shifted the time-keeping functions of the drums to make room for bebop, Elvin Jones took the freedom further with his polyrhythms, but Roy came up with a system that could work equally well with swing, bop, funk, soft ballads, Latin or free jazz. It's a dancing full-body system, utilizing precision drum tuning that allows him to play rhythm, melody and even harmony all at once. Call him a one-man band inside a band. And sidemen, take note! If you don't have it going on, Roy will go there for you. As he's said in the past, he doesn't have any beats to waste. When musicians get with the Roy-al program, though, they are pushed to places they've never been before. This system of Roy's is not just a gold standard of drumming, it's a modus operandi applicable to any musician who values assertiveness, intense listening and the need to

Healdsburg Jazz Festival | P.O. Box 266, Healdsburg, CA 95448 T: (707) 433-4633 | www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org push and then push harder. As such, it's been an influence on all of jazz, and even beyond music. Yes, we all can learn from Roy.

In recent years Roy has been leading his own band of young post-bop warriors: Martin Bejerano on piano, David Wong on bass and Jaleel Shaw on alto sax. On Roy's latest album, Royalty, they were augmented by Chick Corea, Roy Hargrove and son Roy's son Craig Haynes, who will be sitting in with Dad at Healdsburg. Craig has lent his skills to Sun Ra, George Benson, Geri Allen, Marcus Miller and others.

Will there be any surprises for the grand finale? Impossible to say, but with all the jazz royalty occupying Healdsburg this year, it wouldn't be wise to count anything out.

Healdsburg Jazz Festival | P.O. Box 266, Healdsburg, CA 95448 T: (707) 433-4633 | www.healdsburgjazzfestival.org