A reissue of Roy Haynes' 1971 LP Hip Ensemble, recorded in New York for Bob Shad's Mainstream Records and featuring Hannibal Marvin Peterson, George Adams, Teruo Nakamura, and Lawrence Killian.
Together the musicians create a superb mix of jazz funk and spiritual jazz showcasing Haynes powerful drumming and creativity. Hip Ensemble is presented in its original gatefold artwork with first generation photos and includes the bonus track "Roy's Tune." It comes with newly remastered audio and a two-page insert featuring new liner notes by Kevin Le Gendre. Roy Haynes, who passed at age 99, is one of the undisputed giants of jazz. Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1925, Haynes started drumming during his teenage years before moving to New York in 1945 where his career took off. He went on to play with the likes of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Lester Young, becoming an institution over the decades. In the late '60s, after a stint with the John Coltrane's quartet, he put together the Hip Ensemble, a small group featuring the young turks George Adams on sax, Hannibal Marvin Peterson on trumpet, Japanese bass player Teruo Nakamura, Lawrence Killian on percussion together with German pianist Carl Schroeder on Fender Rhodes. Bob Shad, who had worked with Haynes in the '50s when he was running EmArcy, saw the group live in New York one night and decided to sign them on his label Mainstream Records as he was starting to produce jazz again after a few years releasing psychedelic rock. His idea was to plug into the new modal and jazz-funk scenes that was flourishing at the time and Haynes was also experimenting with. The album Hip Ensemble reflects this new direction with a superb mix of spiritual jazz. Complementing the group for this session were Mervin Bronson, adding a touch of Fender bass and a second percussionist, Elwood Johnson. "Roy's Tune" has been added as a bonus track, which was recorded at the same session but not included on the original album -- it briefly came out on a low-key Mainstream compilation two years after. The track is another fascinating breakbeat that has strangely never been sampled. Hip Ensemble has been remastered for vinyl by Colorsound Studio in Paris and is a timely reminder that Haynes is one of the greatest jazz drummers of all times.
