Louis Hayes

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Louis Hayes, 1971

Louis Hayes (born May 31, 1937, in Detroit, MI) is a jazz hard bop drummer.

His father played drums and piano and his mother the piano and he refers to the early influence of hearing jazz, especially that of big bands, on the radio. His main influence was Philly Joe Jones and he was mentored by Papa Jo Jones.

Hayes led a band in Detroit as a teenager and worked with Yusef Lateef and Curtis Fuller from 1955-1956. His three most notable associations are Horace Silver's Quintet (1956-1959), the Cannonball Adderley Quintet (1959-1965), and the Oscar Peterson Trio (1965-1967). Hayes often teamed up with Sam Jones, both with Adderley and Peterson, and in freelance settings.

From the 1970s onward, he led a variety of groups including a quintet co-led by Junior Cook and Woody Shaw. Louis Hayes has appeared on many records throughout the years, and played with John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Timmons, Hank Mobley, Booker Little, Tommy Flanagan, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown, Joe Henderson, Gary Bartz, Tony Williams and Dexter Gordon. He also led sessions for Vee-Jay (1960), Timeless (1976), Muse (1977), Candid (1989), Steeplechase (1989-1994), and TCB (2000-2002). Today he mentors young jazz artists, and continues to perform with a variety of other musicians both old and young.

He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for over three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band.

[edit] Discography

[edit] As leader

Louis Hayes Quintet, (1960;Vee Jay), featuring Nat Adderley, Yusef Lateef, Barry Harris and Sam Jones. Currently available on a CD two-fer with Buddy DeFranco's Blues Bag.
Breath of Life, 1974
Ichi-Ban, 1976
The Real Thing, 1977
The Crawl, 1989
Una Max, 1989
Blue Lou, 1994
Nightfall, 1994
Light and Lively, 1994
Louis At Large, 1996
The Super Quartet, 2000
Quintessential Lou, 2000
The Candy Man, 2001