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Phil Haynes: Electricity Incarnate!
by Doug Collette
In the annals of jazz both short-term and long, the influence of drummer-led initiatives is immeasurable. There is Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers, of course, plus Tony Williams' Lifetime and, in addition, numerous single-minded efforts like these two coincidental releases of Phil Haynes. Each is a largely freewheeling exercise in revisitation gestated during COVID lockdowns: Transition(s) is Haynes' reunion with one-time frequent jam partner guitarist Ben Monder, while Return To Electric constitutes a reprise of earlier excursions into vintage ...
Continue ReadingPhil Haynes: Return to Electric
by Glenn Astarita
Phil Haynes, a drummer who possesses an extensive and heralded resume, unleashes Return to Electric, a semiavant-garde fusion-fueled romp that feels like a love letter to the electric guitar's golden era, delivered with a sly wink. This album displays Haynes, guitarist Steve Salerno, and bassist Drew Gress capturing the experimental spirit of 1970s jazz-rock while demonstrating their mastery over modern styles. Haynes provides near-flawless support, punctuated by colorific cymbal accents, off-kilter deviations and polyrhythmic fills. The trio kicks ...
Continue ReadingPhil Haynes / Ben Monder: Transition (s)
by Dan McClenaghan
The call of the electric guitar has enticed drummer Phil Haynes to revisit his early passion for the instrument. Two albums have resulted: Return to Electric (review here), and now Transition (s), both on Corner Store Records. The former is a trio album that has Haynes teamed with guitarist Steve Salerno and bassist Drew Gress, the latter, the disc at hand, has the veteran drummer joined in a duo set with guitarist Ben Monder. Haynes pulled up roots ...
Continue ReadingPhil Haynes: Return to Electric
by Dan McClenaghan
The band Return to Forever was a seminal jazz fusion group led by pianist Chick Corea. The eponymous first album, on ECM Records, was released in 1972, opening doors for scores of other like-minded ensembles. Electricity was a main aspect of the move away from acoustic jazz. The Fender Rhodes piano and plugged-in bass and guitars of fusion took hold and, to some degree, seemed to be ushering the old (acoustic) guard out the door. But that did ...
Continue ReadingDay Dream: Duke & Strays Live
by Pierre Giroux
The Day Dream trio's album Duke & Strays Live is a two-CD release recorded at Bucknell University in September 2023. It is a sparkling exploration of the timelessness embedded in Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn's music. Lead by drummer Phil Haynes along with pianist Steve Rudolph and bassist Drew Gress, the trio deftly navigates the familiar Ellington-Strayhorn catalogue, offering a fresh examination of these standards without ever lapsing into well-worn paths. It breathes new life into the classics, creating an ...
Continue ReadingPhil Haynes: 4 Horns & What? – The Complete American Recordings
by Alberto Bazzurro
Con minime variazioni fra le diverse edizioni di questo suo gruppo così particolare (quattro fiati più batteria), sicuramente in grado di esprimere (verrebbe da dire “esporre") al meglio le sue doti di compositore e “demiurgo" musicale in senso lato, Phil Haynes, oggi sessantatreenne, riunisce tre sedute d'incisione (l'ultima dal vivo) datate rispettivamente 1989, 1991 e 1995, oltre tre ore e un quarto di musica serratissima (salvo i brevi parlati introduttivi dell'ultimo volume), ricchissima sia sotto il profilo, appunto, compositivo, che ...
Continue ReadingChasing The Masters: First Takes Of A Modern Drumming Artist
by David A. Orthmann
Chasing The Masters: First Takes Of A Modern Drumming Artist Phil Haynes 296 pagesISBN: #979-886-0200883 Self Published 2023 I recently attended several recitals by instrumentalists, composers, and arrangers from the renowned Jazz Studies Program at William Paterson University. The level of musicianship was uniformly high in these stimulating and thought-provoking performances, and the alleged homogeny of jazz in the academy was nowhere to be found. Hearing idealism and enthusiasm in the emerging, ...
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