Updated: June 17, 2024
Born: June 15, 1961
A veteran artist based in New York for 25 years, Phil Haynes is featured on more than 85 LP, CD, and DVD releases by numerous American and European record labels. Haynes’ debut, The Paul Smoker Trio’s QB with Anthony Braxton, was named the #1 recording of 1985 by esteemed critic Kevin Whitehead. The international media have compared his drumming to masters Jack DeJohnette, Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones, and his compositions to Duke Ellington, Charles Ives, Charles Mingus and the Art Ensemble of Chicago. His performances were recently noted to be “The perfect middle between tradition and avant-garde, between power and sophistication, between accessibility and adventure. . . standards with a new sense of drama, dynamics, and true moments of fun.”
In addition to the critically acclaimed three recordings for Enja Records by the composer’s collective, Joint Venture, Haynes’ diverse and distinctive dozen recordings as a leader include: Continuum (violinist Mark Feldman’s jazz debut); the ground breaking and iconic ensemble 4 Horns & What?; his first recording of jazz standards, A Couch in Brooklyn (featuring Israeli born pianist Micu Narununsky and bassist Drew Gress); The Hammond Insurgency with B-3 organ virtuoso Jeff Palmer; Free Country’s trilogy of Americana with cellist/vocalist Hank Roberts; the singular solo drum-set recording, Sanctuary, as well as No Fast Food, a defining saxophone trio featuring NEA jazz master David Liebman.
Moving to central Pennsylvania in 2003, Haynes founded the nationally noted Jazz@Bucknell chamber series in 2005 and was subsequently appointed as Bucknell University’s Kushell Jazz Artist-in- Residence. From 2007-2012, Haynes taught courses in Jazz History, directed his multi-media/new music Bucknell Interdisciplinary Improvisation Ensemble (BIIE), coached the University Jazz Band rhythm section and soloists, worked with various small ensembles and recitalists, maintained a vigorous private studio, and led the Bison Band. Recent years have featured appointments as interim Director of Jazz Studies for both Susquehanna University, PA, and Nazareth College, NY.
Artists Haynes has appeared on CD with include Theo Bleckman, Anthony Braxton, Adam Caine, Joe Daley, Dave Douglas, Mark Dresser, Marty Ehrlich, Ellery Eskelin, Mark Feldman, Ken Filiano, Vinny Golia, Drew Gress, Thomas Heberer, Mark Helias, Lindsay Horner, Ed Jackson, Ritsu Katsumata, David Kikoski, Frank Lacy, Andy Laster, David Liebman, Tony Malaby, Denman Maroney, Michael McNeill, Micu Narunsky, Jeff Palmer, Hank Roberts, Herb Robertson, Ned Rothenberg, Rich Rothenberg, Ted Rosenthal, Michelle Rosewoman, Steve Rudolph, Steve Salerno, Ed Schuller, Paul Smoker, Michael Stevens, David Taylor, Andreas Willers, Gebhard Ullmann, and Tom Varner.
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Chasing 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, ...
Continue ReadingPhil Haynes: a Renowned Jazz Drummer Chases the Masters
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, the Spotlight shines On drummer, composer, and improviser Phillip Haynes.Phil published a unique memoir in November 2023, Chasing the Masters: First Takes of a Modernist Drumming Artist (Corner Store Jazz), which includes not only his reflections on a life in and of music but also stands as an important document of nearly 40 years of music in New York City and beyond.Phil delivers plenty of inside observations of his work with figures like Lee Konitz, ...
Continue ReadingPhil Haynes: Drummer, Bandleader, Composer & Educator
by Doug Hall
Veteran drummer/composer Phillip Haynes is featured on more than 85 releases from numerous American and European record labels. His collaborations include many of the seminal musicians of this generation: saxophonists Anthony Braxton, Ellery Eskelin and Dave Liebman; trumpeters Thomas Heberer, Herb Robertson and Paul Smoker; bassists Mark Dresser, Ken Filiano and Drew Gress; keyboard artists David Kikoski, Denman Maroney and Michele Rosewoman; vocalists Theo Bleckmann, Nicholas Horner and Hank Roberts; violinist Mark Feldman; and the composers collective Joint Venture. His ...
Continue ReadingIntroducing Jazz History And Literature, Reconceived
by Phillip A. Haynes
When I was invited to offer jazz coursework in 2007, as Bucknell University's first Kushell Jazz Artist-in-Residence, my Chair asked what single subject I thought was most important to teach. I responded, “an integrated jazz history & literature sequence, including a semester of classic jazz and one of modern jazz." To which he replied, “Fine, just as long as you can craft it so that both music majors and non-majors can take your courses successfully, without prerequisites, and yet all ...
Continue ReadingJim Yanda: A Silent Way
by Maurizio Comandini
Il titolo e i riferimenti evocati da questo album del chitarrista di avanguardia Jim Yanda, sono piuttosto scivolosi. Volutamente. Per fortuna John Cage ha già ampiamente chiarito che il silenzio non esiste in quanto tale e quindi il percorso silenzioso intrapreso da Yanda non ha punti in comune, se non nelle cose ovvie, con il percorso che caratterizzava “In a Silent Way," uno dei capolavori più luminosi di Miles Davis. Messa in questo modo, la questione potrebbe apparire ...
Continue ReadingNo Fast Food: Setting For Three
by Neri Pollastri
Ci eravamo occupati quattro anni fa del trio No Fast Food, recensendo il doppio CD In Concert (clicca qui per leggerne la recensione); adesso la formazione torna a pubblicare un nuovo lavoro, il terzo, anche stavolta su composizioni scritte dal batterista Phil Haynes. Come era da attendersi dai musicisti che lo compongono, il lavoro è molto libero e aperto, pienamente paritetico, estremamente vario in atmosfere e stilemi, pur conservando una narratività che lo mantiene ancorato alla tradizione — ...
Continue ReadingPhil Haynes & Free Country: My Favorite Things (1960-1969)
by Vincenzo Roggero
Tre strumenti a corde--chitarra, contrabbasso, violoncello--più la batteria del leader sono l'insolita formazione con la quale Phil Haynes, batterista dalle collaborazioni eccellenti, oltre che titolare di numerosi progetti a proprio nome, da anni scandaglia e reinterpreta il repertorio della tradizione americana. In My Favorite Things 60/69 inserisce alcuni brani dei Beatles, che americani non sono (ma come si può ignorali se ti occupi degli anni sessanta ?) e per quasi due ore mostra come un patrimonio musicale apparentemente intoccabile possa ...
Continue ReadingIf cinemascope applied to the drums, haynes would be its de facto Steven Spielberg. ~Ken Micallef, NYC Jazz Record
The perfect middle between tradition and avant-garde, between power and sophistication, between accessibility and adventure. Drummer Phil Haynes has more than 65 albums on his discography, having played with greats such as Dave Liebman, Ellery Eskelin, Dave Douglas, Mark Dresser, Vinny Golia and Herb Robertson, all musicians with superb technical skills, and it's no mystery they chose Haynes to perform with. Phil Haynes has established a reputation as one of the top drummers and composers of his generation. ~Jazz Ed Magazine
Primary Instrument
Drums
Location
Scranton
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced
Credentials/Background
85 LP + CD drumming credits 40+ original compositions on record (15+ releases as a leader) Affiliate Artist, Bucknell University (2012-present) Kushell Artist-in-Residence, Bucknell U. Department of Music, (2006-2011) Interim Director of Jazz Studies at Nazareth U. (Rochester, NY) + Susquehanna U. (Selinsgrove, PA) Coaching improviser/composers on any instrument, as well as drummers & percussionists $100 first lesson fee (for out of town musicians for initial 2-3 hour lesson) $50 per hour $35 per 30 minutes (repeating weekly rates) Cash preferred (w/checks accepted for continuing lessons) Daily 10:00am - 5:00pm as well as weekends (by appointment)
Clinic/Workshop Information
Paul Smoker
trumpet
John Coltrane
saxophone
Jack DeJohnette
drums
Bill Evans
piano
Drew Gress
bass
Elvin Jones
drums
Philly Joe Jones
drums
Tony Williams
drums
Paul Lovens
percussion
