Dan Bowens for FOX 5 NEW YORK – Roy Haynes still walks tall in the world of jazz. After seven decades behind the drums, not a detail is overlooked. And it is always a good time to play. His recent set at the Blue Note in Greenwich Village was a celebration of the legendary percussionist’s 93rd birthday.
Haynes grew up in Boston and got his first break when he was just a teenager when pianist Louis Russell asked him to join his band back in 1945. Not long after, Haynes’s unique energy and sound were in high demand. Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Sarah Vaughan all wanted to record with him. He says he enjoyed playing with and meeting such great people, including Papa Jo Jones, his idol, who was a drummer in the legendary Count Basie band.
He loved the clothes, too. Haynes is quick to boast about his inclusion in a best-dressed list created by Esquire magazine in 1960. That list included iconic trumpeter Miles Davis. Haynes is known for his unmistakable sound and everlasting style.