Collector's CD packaging available for this title via: cornerstorejazz.com

Wonderfully recorded . . .
Sterling resonance and soulful interplay . . .
striking sonic characteristics of this recording as Gress’ heavy and explicit bass lines in tandem with Haynes’ equally wooden toned drums emit a gorgeously radiant environment . . .
[An] ingenious and immaculately executed outing.

* * * * 1/2
~ All About Jazz


The nifty thing about (Free Country's) approach to these classic tunes is how they mix and balance veneration, affection, satire, and creativity. What's more is the selections are all concise with impeccable musicianship . . . this album is a good time waiting to happen.

~ Mark Keresman, ICON magazine


"I first met Phil Haynes in 1984 at the 55 Bar in New York City. We were both new drummers to the scene trying to make a name for ourselves. He was friendly (somewhat unusual in the ultra- competitive world of the early 1980’s New York jazz drummers), intelligent, a great conversationalist, and incredibly passionate about music.

At that time, Phil’s main gig was working with trumpeter Paul Smoker’s Trio. The band had just recorded its first record, entitled “QB” (Featuring Anthony Braxton), which would go on to be picked the #1 Jazz Album of 1985 by Kevin Whitehead for Coda Magazine. Smoker was, and is, Phil’s primary influence. When Phil was a student drummer at Iowa’s Coe College, intent upon showing off his Oregon State Percussion Champion chops (in a decidedly Buddy Rich-like style), Smoker saw potential in Haynes’ fire. He encouraged him to play hard, study compositions and most importantly, look for his own sound. Phil took that ball and ran with it.

Since then, his musical output has been extraordinary. He has been a part of a movement of new jazz that has developed in New York over the last ten years. This new jazz, sometimes called “downtown” is focused on composer/improvisers. The Improvisation borrows heavily from the free jazz techniques of the 1960s. The composition is informed by jazz structures and harmony, contemporary classical music approaches and often employs influences from world music. It is uncompromising, challenging, powerful, and vital. Important contributors to this scene such as Dave Douglass, Mark Feldman, Tim Berne, Don Byron, Ellery Eskelin, Herb Robertson, Lindsay Horner, Frank Lacy, Michele Rosewoman, Ed Shuller, David Taylor , Tom Varner, Andy Laster, Mark Helias, Gebhard Uhlmann, Vinny Golia, Mark Dresser and others, have all participated in sessions, working out their sounds, at the Brooklyn-based, converted corner store/rehearsal space Phil calls home. During this time, Haynes has appeared on more than 30 albums. New music labels such as JMT, HatArt, Soul Note, Owl, Open Minds, Enjoy, Sound Aspects, Alvas, Nine Winds, New World and CIMP all have either a Phil Haynes led session or a collective group featuring Haynes in their catalog.

To some, a record of pre-jazz, 19th century folk, gospel and popular songs may seem like an odd next step for a decidedly forward-thinking musician. Not to Haynes. “I had pitched the idea for a recording of a similar set of Americana material seven or eight years ago to my quintet, 4 Horns & What?, and got static from a number of labels,“ says Haynes. “Several years, and several other projects later, my close friend Christian Kvech suggested the same idea but using Jim Yanda, a great country/western influences jazz guitarist with whom I have worked very closely. I liked the idea immediately and quickly put together a dream band of string players including Yanda on guitar, cellist Hank Roberts (Tim Berne/Bill Frisell), who I had had a major hook up with on Andy Laster’s record, Twirler, and my first call bassists, “Drew Gress (Fred Hersch/Don Byron).”

For Haynes, the idea that a jazz artists know for his avant-garde approach would tackle a set of popular songs from another era was natural. “Re-interpretation of other generation’s creatively has been a mainstay for artists for centuries.“ he says. “John Coltrane, a powerful influence on me, played and recorded Tin Pan Alley, yet he was the avant-garde of his day. Coltrane’s “Ballads” album or “Coltrane/Hartmann” have his quartet’s stamp all over them, yet they transcend generations through their heart-felt romantic connection to the material. The songs on this record are pure romance for me and bring back memories of my family.”

As he does for all his releases, Haynes brings a personal approach to the producing/arranging/recording process. “This project set out to capture the extraordinary melodic riches of the pre-jazz era,“ says Haynes. “I found a group of songs I loved and discarded those with overt lyrical insensitivity. I created Kansas City style head charts (or talk through arrangements) on the majority of the material [Roberts’ surreal re-harmonization of “Oh Susannah”, the exception]. My overall goal for the session was to allow musicians who love playing together to truly improvise as a unit. I dictated the tempos, feels, soloist and conception so the there was organization with the freedom. I asked Hank to pick several of his favorites to sing on. With a work like “Go Down Moses,” Hank too it a step further, creating an intro on the spot in rehearsal that we all loved. We rehearsed collectively for three days and then recorded all on one day with me giving familia’s talk through on solo order just before taping.“


Haynes also made critical decision early on about the sound of the record. “Almost immediately, I decided I wanted an all acoustic recording, so we recorded using no amplification,“ says Haynes. “These guys have an exceptional natural sounds and projection. We rehearsed unplugged to develop our collective acoustic string approach. By “unplugging”, we have a subtle connection to the original intent of the composers. After all, these songs were written and originally performed before amplifiers were dreamed of.” Says Haynes.

“We also recorded direct to two track, including vocals,“ says Haynes. “We all heard the stereo mix as we were playing which gave us a chance to more naturally create a group sound. This is something we could not have accomplished with a great engineer like Jon Rosenberg who mixed as we played,“ says Haynes.

In a recent conversation, Haynes told me that he felt he had found a group of musicians who had tapped into the same heartfelt romance he felt for this material. That is readily apparent when one puts on this CD. The melodies, all familiar, are de-constructed and then re-constituted all at once. The songs, now a part of the American subconscious, emerge intact yet a new light has been cast upon them. Most notable is Yanda’s soulful playing on “Jeannie with The Light Brown Hair, “ Roberts’ power and leadership on cello and vocals on “Shenandoah” and Gress’ solid groove and incisive harmonic contribution throughout. As usual, Haynes offers a deeper insight. “These guys performances should remind us of how truly rich our musical heritages is in this country and how much our roots need to guide us in the next century,“ he said.

Sixteen years later, Phil Haynes retains the same qualities that I remember form the first time e met. He is a great friend. He consistently offers to the world an original and intelligent style of music. And his passion for music has only grown stronger."

- Michael Friedman - premonition records