Jazz Articles about Phillip Haynes

About Phillip Haynes

Album Review

Phil Haynes: My Favorite Things (1960-1969)

Read "My Favorite Things (1960-1969)" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
July 31, 2018

For some reason, cover songs almost always seem to come across more jokey in folk/bluegrass mode than any other. There's just a certain innate good humor in upbeat romps with acoustic string instruments, especially so when the treatment is applied to formerly loud rock and roll songs. Perhaps it also feels that way because bluegrass covers so often serve as cute one-off novelties in an otherwise straightfoward set. Drummer Phil Haynes and his “freewheeling jazz- grass string band" here, on ...

Album Review

Phil Haynes & Free Country: My Favorite Things(1960-1969)

Read "My Favorite Things(1960-1969)" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
July 19, 2018

There have been several jazz projects that looked back at the popular music of the 1960's, but none have been as all-encompassing as what drummer Phil Haynes and his band Free Country do here. They touch on Baby Boomer favorites like Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles and James Brown, but their sweep of the Sixties is wide enough to also bring in Leonard Bernstein and John Coltrane. This quartet of guitar, cello, bass and drums is extremely flexible in ...

Album Review

Phil Haynes: Sanctuary

Read "Sanctuary" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
July 5, 2016

Uscito nel 2015 ma registrato a Berlino nel 1999, presso gli studi della SFB e con il supporto di Gebhard Ullmann, questo disco documenta l'attività in solo di Phil Haynes, un tipo di performance piuttosto rara per un batterista ma che al contrario egli ha sempre portato avanti nel corso della sua lunga carriera. Il lavoro si divide in ventisei brevi tracce (la più lunga, “Kabuki," è di tre minuti e dieci secondi) a loro volta raccolte in ...

Album Review

Phil Haynes: Sanctuary

Read "Sanctuary" reviewed by Budd Kopman

by Budd Kopman
November 14, 2015

Many musicians, at some point, acknowledge a desire that has been building within them --to create music not for anyone else, but for themselves, and, ultimately, by themselves. Obviously, this is easy for pianists, and more difficult for single-line instruments, but now much more common. Drummer/percussionists, especially in jazz, have different problems. First, of course, is the lack of (clear) pitch, relegating percussion (in general) to be but a piece of what many think of as music. Indeed, ...

Album Review

Michael McNeill Trio: Flight

Read "Flight" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
October 7, 2015

On his second release as a leader Flight pianist Michael McNeill elegantly embellishes his own intricate compositions with bold spontaneity. He imbues the melodic elements of the album with subtle angularity and maintains a strong lyrical sense even while flirting with dissonance.The contemplative “Za," for instance, has a crystalline harmonic structure within which McNeill has carefully woven silent pauses that enhance its intimacy. His sparse chiming keys and drummer Phil Haynes' low rumble support bassist Ken Filiano's eloquent ...

Album Review

Michael McNeill Trio: Flight

by Budd Kopman
September 8, 2015

Michael McNeill and his trio (bassist Ken Filiano and drummer Phil Haynes) return after Passageways with the marvelous Flight. The first notes of “Placid Ruffled" indicate McNeill's classical background and compositional intent. The album is extremely well recorded, allowing, at least with headphones, for every overtone and their interactions to be heard clearly (especially in “Land"). This sound world envelopes the ear and prepares the way for music that lies between the purely abstract, tunes and sound paintings. ...

Album Review

Phil Haynes No Fast Food: In Concert

Read "In Concert" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
September 8, 2015

Disco doppio registrato dal vivo in due diverse occasioni nel giugno e nell'agosto del 2012, questo lavoro ha nel titolo del progetto, No Fast Food, un emblematico ancorchè metaforico programma: la musica è infatti lontanissima dall'essere preconfezionata e pronta ad essere consumata rapidamente senza attenzione ed è invece costruita attraverso la creativa interazione di un trio affiatatissimo e individualmente strepitoso. Leader della formazione e autore di tutte le composizioni è il batterista Phil Haynes, collaboratore di Anthony Braxton ...