Louis Hayes – The Real Thing (Muse/32 Jazz, 1978)

Louis Hayes (d); Woody Shaw (tr); Rene McLean (as); Slide Hampton (tb); Ronnie Mathews (p); Stafford James (b)

Recorded on May 20 - 21, 1977 

This is a beautifully planned and executed session.  Woody Shaw plays on all of the cuts.  Rene McLean and Slide Hampton are added for roughly half of them. 

The variety of moods, tempos, and instrumentation gives the set a 60s Blue Note vibe -- even though there's nothing retro about the compositions and performances.

More Louis Hayes

A few more Hayes records that are easy to recommend:

- Breath of Life (Muse, 1974)
- Ichi-Ban - with Junior Cook and Woody Shaw (Timeless, 1976)

- Variety is the Spice (Gryphon, 1979)