Louis Hayes

Drummer Louis Hayes is a superior hard bop stylist best known for supporting soloists rather than taking the spotlight himself. Over a seven-plus-decade career, he has been ranked alongside the illustrious Art Blakey as a superior, swinging hard bop drummer. He has nearly 800 recordings credits, as leader and sideman (some of his early employers included Yusef Lateef, Horace Silver, and Cannonball Adderley). Though his eponymous debut was released by Vee-Jay in 1960, he didn't lead another session before 1974's Breath of Life. 1978's The Real Thing offered a showcase for trump...