The son of drummer Roy Haynes, Graham Haynes grew up around jazz musicians; his Hollis, Queens, neighborhood was also home to Roy Eldridge, Milt Jackson, and Jaki Byard. The younger Haynes played in the same high-school band as bassist Marcus Miller. In 1982, he began an association with saxophonist Steve Coleman; he played on the latter's 1985 debut recording, Motherland Pulse, an album that also featured a young Geri Allen. Haynes' work occasionally hints at an experimental nature, but too often he's apt to place his Miles-ian cornet in static, synthesized funk-oriented contexts that do not enhance or augment the essential lyricism of his work. Haynes is obviously attracted to various world music traditions on records like 1994's The Griot's Footsteps. ~ Chris Kelsey, All Music Guide