Robin Kenyatta
Robin Kenyatta (born March 6, 1942 in Moncks Corner , South Carolina as Robert Prince Haynes , † October 26, 2004 in Lausanne ) was an American alto saxophonist and flutist .
Kenyatta grew up in New York . His music was inspired by Charlie Parker , John Coltrane and Ben Webster , and his tone is similar to that of Gato Barbieri . First he was in contact with avant-garde musicians such as Bill Dixon , Roswell Rudd and Alan Silva , played with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra , but also with the Bop-influenced Sonny Stitt . In 1969 he went to Europe for the first time because he was able to realize himself better there than in the USA, initially to Paris for three years. From the mid-1970s he taught at the École de Jazz Musique Actuelle in Lausanne before founding the Hello Jazz Music School there.
In 1970 he played The Girl from Martinique with Wolfgang Dauner , Arild Andersen and Fred Braceful , which differs significantly from his American records, which were recorded shortly thereafter and were far more commercially successful; later he worked with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie , BB King , Dr. John or George Benson together, played at the Montreux Jazz Festival , but also went on a European tour with their own groups. Since 2002 Kenyatta was back in the USA, where he worked at Bentley College in Waltham .
Kenyatta came to Switzerland in October 2004 to perform , but died there before that.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Kenyatta, Robin |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Haynes, Robert Prince (maiden name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz musician (saxophonist, flautist) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 6, 1942 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Moncks Corner , South Carolina , United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 26, 2004 |
| Place of death | Lausanne , Canton of Vaud , Switzerland |