Roy Haynes, Influential Jazz Drummer, Dies at 99

Roy Haynes, an amazing jazz drummer who worked with big names like Miles Davis and John Coltrane, has passed away at 99.

His daughter, Leslie, shared that he died after a brief illness, telling this to The Guardian.

Starting back in the 1940s, Roy’s drumming was a mix of different jazz styles, and he kept playing into his nineties.

Haynes, originally from Boston, started out playing with bands led by famous musicians like Lester Young and Charlie Parker, and he played on Bud Powell’s classic album in 1952.

In the 1950s, “Snap Crackle”—as Roy was known—played with folks like Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis, also starting his own band and releasing albums like “Busman’s Holiday.” A few years later, he worked with Quincy Jones and contributed to Ray Charles’ album in 1961.

During the 1960s, Haynes was part of many famous recordings with Eric Dolphy and John Coltrane, as well as other artists such as Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner.

He received prestigious awards, including a Grammy in 1989 for “Blues for Coltrane,” and his album “Birds of a Feather” got nominated in 2001.

Fans feel grateful for all the music he created and shared with us.

Pat Metheny, who played with Roy, admired him greatly and once said, “Roy is the human manifestation of whatever it is that the word ‘hip’ was supposed to mean.”

In a 2006 chat with Jazziz, Haynes talked about staying ahead in music: “Now, if I played rudiments and all that shit, they’re hip to that shit,” he said. “So I come up with the Roy Haynes shit, man, and it blew all of their minds.”