Drummer Louis Hayes Signs With Blue Note; Set To Release Horace Silver Tribute Album In May 2017

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Legendary drummer Louis Hayes has signed with Blue Note Records and will release his label debut as a leader this May with Serenade for Horace, a tribute to the great pianist and bandleader Horace Silver. It was as a member of Silver's Quintet from 1956-1959 that Hayes was first introduced to the jazz world as the driving force on classic Blue Note albums including 6 Pieces of Silver, Further Explorations, The Stylings of Silver, Blowin' the Blues Away, and Finger Poppin'. Hayes also appeared on Blue Note albums by Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Sonny Clark and others, stream the playlist Louis Hayes: Sideman on Apple Music or Spotify to explore his finest Blue Note moments.

Hayes will celebrate his 80th birthday in 2017. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on May 31, 1937, and grew up surrounded by music, first starting his musical studies on piano before his father gave him a set of drums at age 10. After developing his skills in the fertile musical ground of Detroit in the 1950's with the likes of Yusef Lateef and Kenny Burrell, Hayes moved to New York City in 1956 at age 19 and joined the Horace Silver Quintet, putting his stamp on timeless recordings like "Señor Blues," "Sister Sadie," and "Blowin' the Blues Away."

Hayes was a member of Cannonball Adderley's Quintet from 1959-1965, and also had a notable stint with Oscar Peterson from 1965-67. He has recorded with the titans of jazz including John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, and McCoy Tyner, and co-led an influential quintet with Woody Shaw and Junior Cook throughout the 1970s. Beginning with his self-titled debut for Vee-Jay in 1960, Hayes has recorded 18 albums as a leader.