The telling of a story is always more authentic and compelling when it's told by a storyteller who was actually there. This is certainly the case with drummer Louis Hayes, who had the most to do with shaping the rhythm of Horace Silver's all-important hard-bop quintet from 1956 to 1959.
As I pointed out in my multipart interview with Louis in 2010, he wasn't the first drummer with Silver. That would have been Kenny Clarke and Art Taylor. But he was there for the quintet's dramatic rise and success.
Now, Louis has just released a new album—Artform Revisited (Savant). That artform would be bebop pressed through a hard-bop filter. With Louis at the helm, you can hear instantly that the music is a step above and led by a long-time pro. So many jazz albums that feature musicians taking a shot at bop or hard bop sound good but are missing the true-flavor ingredient.
Louis's latest album is the real deal, and he clearly worked with the band to deliver just the right energy and phrasing. He's joined by Abraham Burton on tenor saxophone, Steve Nelson on vibes, David Hazeltine on piano and Dezron Douglas on bass.
The tracks:
- Tour de Force (Dizzy Gillespie)
- Milestones (John Lewis)
- My Little Suede Shoes (Charlie Parker)
- You're Looking at Me (Bobby Troup)
- Ruby (Louis Hayes)
- Cheryl (Parker)
- Ray's Idea (Ray Brown)
- A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing (Billy Strayhorn)
- Dewey Square (Parker)
- G (Hayes)
This album is a clear reminder of how critically important the drums were to the sound and spirit of bop and hard bop in the 1940s and '50s. Louis is the polyrhythmic straw that stirs the music—throwing out cymbal bashes, landing a snare shot here and there, and hitting the bass drum in uneven places. He's 87 now and one of the last of his generation still recording. Thank goodness for that.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Louis Hayes's Artform Revisited (Savant) here or at major streaming platforms.
JazzWax clips: Here's Tour de Force...
Here's Milestones...
And here's Louis's G, a blues in that key...
JazzWax note: To read my interview with Louis Hayes in 2010, go here. Links to subsequent parts can be found at the top of the linked page, above the red date.
