Whereas

Roy Haynes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 22, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dreyfus
• ASIN: B000GCG61Y
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #245,688 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

Roy Haynes first came on the scene at a pivotal time in jazz history, when the Swing Era was drawing to a close and bebop was still being born. "I’m one of the last innovators from the ’40s who’s still out there saying something new," Haynes has said. Over the decades he has performed and recorded with everyone from Charlie Parker to Pat Metheny, from Lester Young and Sarah Vaughan to Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Chick Corea and Branford Marsalis. Recently, he has even performed with the current incarnation of the Allman Brothers Band—at their annual Beacon Theatre run in New York City in March; and at the Jones Beach Music Theater on Long Island in June.

Not only has Haynes seen the full sweep of jazz history, he’s played a huge role in shaping it. And he continues to do so, not least of all by nurturing so many of today’s most promising young musicians. Alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw holds a masters degree from Manhattan School of Music and has performed around the world with the likes of Roy Hargrove, Christian McBride, Jeremy Pelt, the Either/Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band and more. Shaw’s debut recording as a leader, "Perspective," was named one of the top five debut releases of 2005 by All About Jazz-New York.

Pianist Robert Rodriguez is the older brother of trumpeter Michael Rodriguez, known for his recent work with bass legend Charlie Haden. The brothers can be heard together on their co-led debut release, "Introducing the Rodriguez Brothers." Robert has also collaborated with such giants as Arturo Sandoval and the recently departed Ray Barretto.

Bassist John Sullivan has become one of New York’s most in-demand players since arriving in the city in 1999. He has worked with Joe Lovano, Mike Mainieri, Joanne Brackeen, John McNeil, Aaron Parks, Pete Zimmer and many others. He also works with his father, guitarist Dave Sullivan, in the Sullivan Trio.

Product Description

Roy Haynes may be 81 years old, but in body and spirit he is very much a young man. Ask any jazz lover: Haynes’s drumming is as dynamic and challenging today as it has ever been. Not for nothing did the Jazz Journalists Association choose to award Haynes its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2006. This comes on top of countless honors and accolades, including induction into the Downbeat magazine Hall of Fame in 2004, as well as Grammy nominations for Haynes’s Dreyfus albums "Fountain of Youth" (2004) and "Birds of a Feather" (2001).

Now Haynes and the Fountain of Youth quartet are back with a new release, titled "Whereas." Featuring Jaleel Shaw on alto sax, Robert Rodriguez on piano and John Sullivan on bass, the album was recorded at the Artist’s Quarter in St. Paul, Minnesota over the course of three nights in January 2006. Chris Coleman, Mayor of St. Paul, MN, officially declared the weekend of January 20 – 22 the "Roy Haynes Weekend". The recording documents the no-holds-barred interaction of one of the last true "apprenticeship" bands in jazz. In the grand tradition of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Haynes’s quartet is a proving ground for young, up-and-coming musicians with the talent and fortitude to go head-to-head, night after night, with this unstoppable octogenarian.

On "Whereas," Haynes and his cohorts display an extraordinary cohesion and improvisational fire as they draw upon some of the leader’s best-loved repertoire, including Chick Corea’s "Like This," Pat Metheny’s "James" and Thelonious Monk’s "Bemsha Swing," as well as barnstorming post-bop classics such as John Coltrane’s "Mr. P.C.", Joe Henderson’s "Inner Urge" and Charlie Parker’s "Segment." The harmonic sophistication and melodic clarity of Rodriguez’s piano, the linear propulsion and drive of Shaw’s horn, the depth and solidity of Sullivan’s bass, the wholly unpredictable nuances of Haynes’s drumming—all add up to a thrilling and memorable hour-plus, highlighting the Fountain of Youth quartet at its revelatory best.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing, September 8, 2006

By 

Wild Bill Jones (Interstate 10) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Whereas (Audio CD)

Roy Haynes' playing has, incredibly, gotten better and better over the years. Always one of the drum masters, Haynes' conception has gotten deeper and broader, and he plays with an energy, a focus, a combination of strength and precision and looseness, that would be awe-inspiring in a player of any age. This isn't hyperbole -- it is a fact. If he were 30 rather than 80 his playing would be just as awe-inspiring.

On top of that, Haynes has evolved a group conception that is as flexible and exciting as any to be found in the annals of jazz, in my opinion. He surrounds himself with the best young players, all of whom are able to switch tracks between bebop, modal, and free styles of play at will and on a dime. They are all phenomenal individually, but it is the group conversation that will astound you if you have ears to hear. Haynes is at the center of it all, goading, underlining, exclaiming, sizzling -- lifting the bandstand off the floor.

If you have heard Haynes' previous disc "Fountain of Youth," you know what I am talking about. This record is as good as that one. Jaleel Shaw's conception is different from that of his predecessor Marcus Strickland, and he concentrates on alto rather than tenor and soprano, as Strickland did. He brings the same level of engagement, virtuosity and fire to the band. He can also play with subtlety and lyricism when he wants to.

As great as pianist Martin Bejerano was in the quartet, Robert Rodriguez is his equal. This disc, like "Fountain Of Youth," is a live performance, and there are places where you can here the audience gasping in amazement at the patterns Rodriguez and Haynes set up. Bassist John Sullivan is still in place from the previous quartet, and he is the equal of his compatriots.

If you don't know "Fountain of Youth," and if you have read this far, buy them both, set aside an evening, invite a couple of jazz-loving friends over, and be amazed.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He did it again !!, September 11, 2006

By 

Anthony K. Danso "AKD500" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Whereas (Audio CD)

Ladies and gentlemen, I thought there is nothing left to be done by Sir Roy Haynes. He proved me wrong time and time again, as he keeps dipping into that box of serious music and bringing the magic out.
Whilst I was not present at that great weekend in St. Paul, MN, I can picture exactly what he was doing with those drum sticks/brushes, to produce this great live recording.
Sir Roy Haynes, your selfless sacrifices in teaching, coaching and preparing young musicians for the future are unparallel. Your jazz artistry and dynamics are timeless. This is another incredible CD.