Tony Haynes 1941 - 2024

It is with great sadness that All About Jazz reports the passing of Tony Haynes, the founder and for over 40 years the creative director of London's Grand Union Orchestra (GUO). Haynes left us on 17 September 2024. Under his visionary leadership, GUO did much to take forward the idea of jazz as a multi-cultural artform, and to celebrate the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic city that London is, representing Haynes' hopes for the world—hopes that he did not just sit back and wish for, but that he worked tirelessly to promote. Read more about that below, in AAJ's review of GUO's 2022 album, Made By Human Hands.

Meanwhile, GUO's Jane Deppa has announced the schedule of events happening on 11 October 2024, celebrating Haynes' life and achievements:

Writes Deppa: "Tony's wish was for everyone to come to the big celebration at St John's at 1pm. If you can come to the crematorium service at 11am we'd love everybody there too. Please wear bright, colourful clothing. No flowers please -donations welcome to Musicians' Union.

11:00am: crematorium service at City of London Cemetery and Crematorium

A short service at Modern Crematorium North Chapel, City of London Cemetery and Crematorium, Aldersbrook Rd, London E12 5DQ.

1:00pm—celebration of Tony's life at St John on Bethnal Green (main event!)

A joyous continuation of music, tributes, food and wine. All welcome, including kids. Tony would have loved a big audience! Join us from 12:30pm for a 1:00pm start.

St. John on Bethnal Green
200 Cambridge Heath Road
London E2 9PA

Closest tube station is Bethnal Green (Central line), or served by many bus routes.

It would be helpful if musicians could please let Jane or Claude know if you are able to attend.

3:00pm onwards—drinks and stories at The Florist Arms

We're going to end up raising a glass to one of life's great drinking companions just round the corner at The Florist Arms, 255 Globe Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 0JD.

See you all there!"

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Grand Union Orchestra
Made By Human Hands
Red Gold
2022

Grand Union Orchestra, which has mentored many young London jazz musicians over four decades, is approximately aligned with the grassroots organisations Tomorrow's Warriors and Kinetika Bloco. The longest established of the trio, Grand Union took wing in 1982, Tomorrow's Warriors in 1991, Kinetika Bloco in 2000. Made By Human Hands is a greatest hits compilation celebrating Grand Union's 40th Anniversary.

The ensemble was founded by trombonist, keyboardist, composer and community activist Tony Haynes, who continues to lead it today. Haynes' extra-musical mission is the promotion of a world free of racial and economic injustices through a multi-cultural form of orchestral jazz. From the band's inception, Haynes has worked tirelessly to this end, undaunted by chronic underfunding, and Grand Union has recorded a prodigious catalogue of often extraordinary music, in which what might be called Indo Jazz Fusion has been a particularly rewarding strand.

Alongside a nucleus of top-ranking jazz musicians, some of whom, such as trumpeter Claude Deppa and saxophonist Chris Biscoe, have been with Grand Union more or less since its formation, Haynes brings in guest singers and instrumentalists from other traditions on a project-by-project basis. Indian, Bengali, Chinese, Caribbean, South American, West African and Turkish players are among those who have figured in the lineup. Haynes engages with each tradition with scholarship and respect and this ensures that it is humanism in action rather than musical tourism or cultural appropriation.

The roll call of jazz musicians who have been associated with Grand Union is too lengthy to list here, but it includes saxophonists Biscoe, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Louise Elliott, Courtney Pine and Ingrid Laubrock, trumpeters Deppa, Shanti Paul Jayasinha, Kevin Robinson and Byron Wallen, and trombonists Rick Taylor and Ros Davies. Some of these musicians are heard on Made By Human Hands.

The album touches down in Jamaica, Trinidad, Ghana, Guinea, Cuba, Puerto Rico, India, Brazil, Turkey, China, Bengal, Portugal and, of course, London. The sixteen tracks are all upbeat and up-tempo. Made By Human Hands is perfect party music and a joy from start to finish. (For another aspect of GUO's work, check the YouTube below.)

Collective personnel includes: Tony Haynes: trombone, keyboards; Courtney Pine, Tony Kofi, Louise Elliott, Jason Yarde, Chris Biscoe, Fiona Burnett: saxophones; Claude Deppa, Shanti Jayasina, Byron Wallen, Kevin Robinson, Wendy Anderson: trumpets; Rick Taylor, Ros Davies; Adrian Sherriff: trombone; Sadjo Djolo Koiate: kora; Valanga Khoza: kalimba; Vladimir Vega: tiple; Cemal Akkiraz: saz; Brian Abrahams, Josefina Cupido: drums; Ken Johnson: steel pans; Gerry Hunt: guitar; Andres Lafone: bass guitar; Rosamel Burgos: quena, charango; Baluji Shrivastav, Yousuf Ali Khan: tablas; Ketan Kerai: dhol; Alison Limerick, Gail Ann Dorsey, Sarah Laryea, Mario Joao Silveira, Mingo Rangel, Sabhat Akkiraz, Jonathan Andre: vocals; others.

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