It's Tuesday night, 2nd set here at one of the best places to see great jazz music in Los Angeles, Catalina's Bar and Grill! The crowd is intimate and we are in luck because we have the great Roy Haynes all to ourselves. Catalina's is full of youth tonight, students of drum master and professor Sherman Ferguson who is in the house as well as Dwight Trible for a performance that is soon to be outstanding and full of energy!
Roy put the K in cool! I thought the brotha was 76 but, the cats in the band said that he just celebrated his 79th birthday!
Damn, I only hope I look, feel and stroll as kool as Roy when I hit those numbers. At 79, he is on fire and can hang with any drummer in his 20's. The veteran is running the show and the young cats in his band are keeping up!
Roy has the combination lock on the rhythm and the players are all dialed in. Roy Haynes goes back, way back. I'm talkin' six decades of jazz. Sittin' in with the likes of Hank Jones, Ray Brown, Lester Young, Paul Chambers, Dizzy, JJ Johnson, Fats Navaro and of course the list goes on.
A Grammy winner and an outstanding contribution to the music, Roy put the R in rhythm! He is and will always be just as strong and powerful as you have seen him at any other time throughout jazz history.
Thundering, innovative, rhythmic solo creations roar though the club. As Yusef Lateef would say, "Love and Humor." Speaking of lovely solos, his band of Martin Bejerano on piano, John Sullivan on bass and Walter Smith on Sax were on it as well. They each had their own opportunity to shine as they all played their solos. It was as if they each had their own little mini showcase. Martin played beautifully on a "Greensleaves" solo. Excellent accompaniment from John as well lovely bow work and Walter was inspiring on sax.
Roy will be at Catalina's Bar and Grill until Sunday, April 25, 2004. Get out and support the music and see a master and legend at work!
LeRoy Downs
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