ROY HAYNES — Fountain of Youth (2004) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Drummer Roy Haynes chose a perfect title for this album: at 79 years of age, he is an undisputed elder statesman of jazz and one of the few surviving ambassadors from the bebop past; at the same time, he plays with the kind of energy and unflagging invention that would be the envy of a drummer one-third his age. Fountain of Youth was recorded live in December of 2002 at the legendary Birdland club in New York City. Haynes leads a quartet that also features pianist Martin Bejerano, saxophonist Marcus Strickland, and bassist John Sullivan. The program opens with a brilliant jazz-waltz setting of the traditional English tune "Greensleeves," and then proceeds to survey both bebop standards (there are no fewer than three Thelonious Monk compositions on the nine-track program), Tin Pan Alley classics (Irving Berlin's "Remember"), and even a Pat Metheny tune (the lovely "Question and Answer"). Everyone plays with both fire and elegance, especially on the dancing "Butch and Butch" and a lovely, meditative rendition of Monk's "Ask Me Now." And while Haynes always plays with consummate taste and never consciously upstages his young bandmates, a listener paying any attention at all will be constantly surprised by his inventive and exquisitely tasteful rhythmic exclamations and subtle prods. Very highly recommended. Rick Anderson  
Tracklist :
1     Greensleeves 8:20
Traditional
2     Twinkle Trinkle 5:55
Thelonious Monk
3     Summer Night 7:55
Al Dubin / Harry Warren
4     Ask Me Now 8:55
Thelonious Monk
5     Butch and Butch 4:50
Oliver Nelson
6     Inner Trust 10:53
Dave Kikoski
7     Green Chimneys 8:08
Thelonious Monk
8     Remember 6:12
Irving Berlin
9     Question & Answer 10:16
Pat Metheny
Credits :
Bass – John Sullivan
Drums – Roy Haynes
Piano – Martin Bejerano
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Marcus Strickland

ROY HAYNES — Roy-alty (2011) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Roy Haynes celebrated his 86th birthday on March 13, 2011. Had the veteran drummer retired from music 30 or 40 years earlier, he still would have gone down in history as someone with a long list of accomplishments. But thankfully, Haynes continued to perform well into his eighties. Recorded in early 2011 (when Haynes was still 85), Roy-Alty is a solid hard bop/post-bop outing that boasts well-known guests like Chick Corea (who is heard on acoustic piano) and trumpeter Roy Hargrove. Corea is featured on two selections: the dusky "All the Bars Are Open" and Thelonious Monk's "Off Minor," while Hargrove is heard on six of the ten tracks (including the insistent "Passion Dance," the standard "These Foolish Things," the Afro-Cuban favorite "Tin Tin Deo," and Miles Davis' "Milestones"). It should be noted that the "Milestones" that Haynes performs on Roy-Alty is the bop standard that Davis played with Charlie "Bird" Parker in 1947, not the modal standard he unveiled in 1958, and playing something with a Bird connection is quite appropriate, given that Haynes was a member of his quintet from 1949-1952 (when the drummer was in his twenties). Most of the songs on Roy-Alty find Haynes employing a group that he bills as the Fountain of Youth (alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, pianist Martin Bejerano, and bassist David Wong), and while the personnel can vary from track to track on this 66-minute CD, the constant is Haynes' skillful drumming. After all these years, Haynes hasn't lost his touch as either a drummer or a group leader, and his skills in both of those areas is evident on Roy-Alty, which falls shorts of essential but is nonetheless a pleasing addition to his catalog. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1     Grand Street 5:57
Sonny Rollins
2     They Call the Wind Mariah 3:41
Alan Jay Lerner / Frederick Loewe
3     Off Minor 8:42
Thelonious Monk
4     These Foolish Things 8:23
Eric Maschwitz / Jack Strachey
5     Milestones 5:28
Miles Davis
6     Tin Tin Deo 8:43
Walter Gilbert Fuller / Luciano "Chano" Pozo
7     All the Bars Are Open 7:44
Chick Corea / Roy Haynes
8     Pinky 3:51
Alfred Newman
9     Equipoise 6:48
Stanley Cowell
10     Passion Dance 7:00
McCoy Tyner
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Jaleel Shaw
Bass – David Wong
Claves – Roy Hargrove (faixas: 6)
Congas – Craig Haynes (faixas: 10)
Congas, Percussion – Roberto Quintero (faixas: 6)
Drums – Roy Haynes
Percussion – Martin Bejerano (faixas: 6)
Piano – Chick Corea (faixas: 3, 7), Martin Bejerano, Robert Rodriguez (faixas: 10)
Shaker – Jaleel Shaw (faixas: 6)
Tenor Saxophone – Marcus Strickland (faixas: 10)
Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Roy Hargrove
Vocals – Roy Haynes (faixas: 6)