May 1997

Roy Haynes
True Or False
Evidence Music

By Tom Terrell

If jazz be poetry, then a jazz band led by a drummer can be a slammin' haiku. On his latest CD True Or False, rhythm master Roy Haynes is poetry in flight. Recorded live at Paris' Magnetic Terrace in 1986, True Or False is everything you expect from Haynes: hard swing, swirling rhythms, deep melodies and impeccable taste. A freewheeling, joyous demonstration of musical camaraderie, True Or False flows from modal ("Psalm") to Monk ("Played Twice") to montuno ("The Everywhere Calypso") with infectious aplomb. As usual, Haynes has surrounded himself with top cats: Ralph Moore; tenor, David Kikoski; piano, Ed Howard; bass (all experienced practitioners of the art of the slow 'burn'). Roy Haynes/True Or False/n'est-ce pas?