A solo show from Derek catching up on things he has meant to play for some time.
Roy Haynes started things off with a live track recorded when he was 82. He is now 86 and still going strong. Haynes gave a dynamic performance with his Fountain of Youth Band at the London Jazz Festival on 19 November at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. I was lucky to be there in the second row to see him begin with a tap dance, then progess to a drum solo and then keep going through the set with an array of complex rhythms while leading his youthful band. Roy was the joking, ever-moving livewire while the rest of the band – all highly accomplished musicians – appeared, by contrast, as serious, straight, dedicated college kids. This was a great show.
The drummer Paul Motian has died and there was a track from Bill Evans on which he played. He also played on Death and the Flower – the 1974 Keith Jarrett record from which Prayer was taken – although he was not on that particular number. There was also more from the excellent selection of re-releases that are around at the moment, three tracks from the Bossa Jazz double CD from Soul Jazz records and on the same label a tune from Washington Suite by the Lloyd McNeil Quartet.
The Impulse Records 50th Anniversary Two on One series are definitely worth looking out for, but don’t pay more that £4.50 for a double album CD. The Elvin Jones tune was from this series. There was also another taster, although brief, from Our Latin Thing on Strut Records – a DVD and double CD from the seminal Fania All Stars.
- Roy Haynes – My Heart Belongs to Daddy
- Bill Evans – Luck Be a Lady
- Keith Jarrett – Prayer
- Elvin Jones – Nuttin’ Out Jones
- Samabalanco Trio – Improviso Negro
- Quarteto Novo – Fica Mal Com Deus
- Som Imaginario – A – 3
- Lloyd McNeil Quartet – Just 71% Moor
- Charles Lloyd – Little Wahid’s Day
- Tina Brooks – Good Old Soul
- Tomasz Stanko Quartet – Cyrhia
- Fania All Stars – Descarga Fania