Roy Haynes.There aren’t many instances in life when one sees an 86-year old great-grandfather and wishes to be even half as cool. Just look at that picture of Roy Haynes, the drumming legend whose career spans over 65 years. Even when he broke onto the New York scene in the late ’40s, Haynes was considered one of its most stylish musicians and in 1960, Esquire magazine named him one of the Best Dressed Men in America — a list that included Fred Astaire, Clark Gable and Cary Grant.
However, it’s not any fashion sense that earned Haynes the title of NEA Jazz Master in 1995 or won him a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Those accolades are the result of a career that began with saxophonist Lester Young, and shortly thereafter included stints with bebop pioneers Bud Powell and Charlie Parker. Haynes has released over 40 recordings as a band leader and has appeared as a sideman on hundreds of others. Quite simply, Haynes is one of the most influential jazz drummers of all time, and though he has seen and played it all, the root of the music has not changed for him.
“The jazz I’m playing now has a lot of the same feelings as the jazz I played 20 years or 50 years ago,” said Haynes during a recent interview with DCist. “Every time I get on the bandstand, its like I’m just starting.”
Haynes will be at the Kennedy Center‘s Terrace Theater tomorrow leading a quartet, and it is his first visit to the venue in six years. While he does not keep as rigorous a performing schedule as he once did, his playing is just as intense as ever. Haynes does not maintain a specific diet or fitness regimen to keep up his stamina on stage, but he does take care of himself and believes in holding a positive state of mind.
“Like an athlete, you try to get your rest and you try to be prepared mentally and physically,” he explained. “But I’ve been playing since I was a teenager, and sometimes when I’m playing now I still feel like a teenager.”
Haynes is known for surrounding himself with younger musicians, and some of his energy no doubt comes from his aptly named Fountain of Youth Band, all extremely talented players who are each over 50 years his junior. Though Haynes recruited all of them when they were still in their twenties, the group’s lineup has proved to be fairly stable. Pianist Martin Bejerano joined Haynes less than a year after moving to New York in 2000. Bassist David Wong holds a degree from the prestigious Juilliard School of Music and joined the group shortly after graduating in 2004. Jaleel Shaw has been the band’s saxophonist since 2005 and in addition to a steady performing career has also held faculty positions at Temple University and New York’s New School. As with his own playing, Haynes sees little distinction between today’s best players and the master’s with whom he began his career.
“A lot of the young players I play with now idolized the players I played with back then,” said Haynes. “It’s great that there are these musicians that are young enough to be my grandchildren and we can talk that music language.”
A Fountain of Youth concert is generally a mix of jazz standards and original material from the band members. One thing that definitely sets Haynes apart from most jazz performers is his willingness to engage with the audience. The warmth and joy he exudes from behind the drumset can fill a room, but he goes the extra step and is quick with a joke or a story to draw people in even more.
“There’s something I can feel in them if they really enjoy it,” Haynes said of his listeners. “There are always great audiences wherever I go, anywhere in the world. It’s great when I talk to them after the show and they say that they feel inspired.”
Roy Haynes and the Fountain of Youth Band will perform 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. sets on Friday, October 14, 2011 at the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. Tickets are $35 + fees.
