Roy Haynes at Catalina's Bar and Grill!
by jazzcat on Apr.21, 2004, under News
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 solo’s, 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