Roy Haynes, Grammy-winning jazz drummer, dies at 99: Reports

Jazz musician Roy Haynes, whose eclectic drumming style helped define the genre, has died, according to reports. He was 99.

Haynes died Tuesday in Nassau County, New York, following a brief illness, his daughter Leslie Haynes-Gilmore confirmed to The New York Times and The Washington Post. A cause of death was not disclosed.

USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Haynes for comment.

Born in March 1925 to immigrant parents from Barbados, the Massachusetts native got his musical start playing Boston nightclubs as a teen. During this time, Haynes worked under the direction of band leaders such as Sabby Lewis, Pete Brown, Frankie Newton and Phil Edmund.

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Haynes later moved to New York in 1945, according to the Percussive Arts Society (PAS), where he scored a two-year stint playing with jazz pianist Luis Russell's band.

Over the course of his nearly 70-year career, Haynes performed alongside a number of jazz greats, such as Lester Young, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Sarah Vaughn. The drummer explored a range of musical styles, from swing and bebop to jazz fusion and avant-garde jazz.

"Every time I read something about myself it usually says 'bebop,'" Haynes told PAS in a 1998 interview. "I'm not always comfortable with those labels that people use. I'm just an old-time drummer who tries to play with feeling."

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Haynes would earn the nickname "Snap Crackle" for his distinctive percussion style. The musician told PAS of the moniker, "That was just a sound that I liked and felt comfortable with. I did a little bit of drum and bugle corps drumming in school, but I was never really a rudimental drummer, so I think my sound comes from my mind more than my hands."

After working with vibraphonist Gary Burton in the late 1960s, Haynes launched his jazz-rock outfit the Hip Ensemble. Haynes released an album titled "Hip Ensemble" in 1971.

Haynes won two Grammy Awards in his career: best jazz instrumental performance, group in 1989 ("Blues for Coltrane - A Tribute to John Coltrane") and best jazz instrumental performance, individual or group in 2000 ("Like Minds").

Hayne's final album, "Roy-Alty," was released in 2011.