“Hayes is on a select list of jazz’s most exciting, imaginative drummers,” states JAZZ TIMES. “Louis Hayes – who has been a force in jazz drumming for more than sixty years, anchoring legendary groups led by Horace Silver, Cannonball Adderley, Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins, among others,” says ALL ABOUT JAZZ.
NEA Jazz Master & Legendary Jazz Drummer LOUIS HAYES, a Blue Note Records Artist, found himself at the tender age of 18 in New York as a member of the great Horace Silver Quintet. Louis performed with Horace from 1956-1959 when he joined Cannonball Adderley, where he propelled the quintet to joyous musical heights & timeless recordings through 1965. He joined piano master Oscar Peterson from 1965-67 during which time he and bassist Sam Jones became known as the "dynamic duo," recognized as the most powerful rhythm duo in jazz. Over the next decades, Louis became leader or co-leader of a series of electrifying groups and played or recorded with jazz greats John Coltrane, John Lee Hooker, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, and many others. Louis Hayes' Acclaimed Quintet includes the brilliant Louis Hayes on Drums, Renowned Pianist DAVID HAZELTINE, Acclaimed Bassist DEZRON DOUGLAS, Prolific Saxophonist ABRAHAM BURTON and 5x-GRAMMY® Nominated Vibraphonist STEVE NELSON.