Pioneering jazz drummer Roy Haynes has died, aged 99

Jazz drumming pioneer and icon Roy Haynes has died, aged 99.

Late Tuesday night, Hayne’s son Craig shared an image of his father on Facebook, writing: “Thanks for all your hipness dad. RIP”. Haynes’ daughter Leslie Haynes-Gilmore has confirmed her father’s death to The Guardian, adding the legendary drummer had died following a short illness but did not divulge any further information.

Haynes – who was one of the last surviving drummers from the swing and bebop eras of jazz music – had enjoyed a storied career that spanned nearly seven decades. Throughout those 69 years, Haynes had performed and recorded with other musical legends the likes of Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Sonny Rollins, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Louis Armstrong and many more.

Roy kickstarted his career in 1945, with stints in bands led by musicians such as Lester Young, Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, Sarah Vaughan and then pianist Bud Powell – with home Haynes recorded the 1952 record ‘The Amazing Bud Powell’.

Following ‘The Amazing Bud Powell’, Roy Haynes began performing with the likes of Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, George Shearing and more – as well as launching his own solo career with the record ‘Busman’s Holiday’ in 1954.

Roy Haynes. Credit: Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In 1956, Haynes teamed up with the legendary Quincy Jones – who sadly also died earlier this month at the age of 91 – to release the split LP ‘Jazz Abroad’. The two would later reunite for Ray Charles‘ 1961 classic ‘Genius + Soul = Jazz’.

Throughout the rest of his career, Haynes would on appear on jazz classics such as Eric Dolphy’s ‘Outward Bound’, ‘Out There’, and ‘Far Cry’, John Coltrane’s ‘Impressions’, Jackie McLean’s ‘Destination… Out!’ and many more.

Among the numerous accolades Haynes collected during his life include two Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2012 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jazz Foundation of America in 2019.

He had appeared on hundreds of albums – both as bandleader and a sideman – and released his last album ‘Roy-Alty’ in 2011.

Following the news of his death, several tributes have been paid to the late drumming icon. See them below.

We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of drummer Roy Haynes.

In a career lasting over 80 years, Haynes has influenced and innovated, shaping some of the greatest recordings in jazz while altering the very fabric and direction of jazz improvisation with his mercurial,… pic.twitter.com/fqGhVicUUO

— The Jazz Estate (@thejazzestate) November 12, 2024