Isac Hayes

In 1997, Blue Moon released Blues Bag/Louis Hayes, which contained two albums on one compact disc - Blues Bag, a 1965 disc originally released on Vee Jay by Buddy DeFranco), and Louis Hayes, a 1960 record also originally on Vee Jay) by Louis Hayes and his quintet.
Blues Bag (1965). For this unusual set clarinetist Buddy DeFranco is exclusively heard on bass clarinet while joined by drummer Art Blakey and an interesting group of players, some of who were with Blakey's Jazz Messengers at the time. DeFranco, Blakey, pianist Victor Feldman, and bassist Victor Sproles are featured as a quartet on four numbers while the other three songs add trombonist Curtis Fuller and either Lee Morgan or Freddie Hill on trumpet…

Although this is Isaac Hayes' third long-player, he had long been a staple of the Memphis R&B scene – primarily within the Stax coterie – where his multiple talents included instrumentalist, arranger, and composer of some of the most beloved soul music of the '60s. Along with his primary collaborator, David Porter, Hayes was responsible for well over 200 sides – including the genre-defining "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby," "Soul Man," "B-A-B-Y," "Hold On, I'm Comin'," and "I Had a Dream." As a solo artist however, Hayes redefined the role of the long-player with his inimitably smooth narrative style of covering classic pop and R&B tracks, many of which would spiral well over ten minutes.

There aren’t many living and active drummers that can be labeled “legendary”, but Louis Hayes is definitely one of them, having played with Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and Oscar Peterson just to name a few. This latest album from the 86 year old vet is comfort food for the jazz soul, with a team of Abraham Burton/ts, Steve Nelson/vib, David Hazeltine/p and Dezron Douglas/b mixing together jazz standards with a couple originals.
Of the former, Hayes’ own title tune is an upbeat charmer featuring Burton’s beefy tenor, while “Carmine’s Bridge” is an easy bopper with composer Hazeltine swinging with style. Hayes uses his mallets with the cymbals to lead into Nelson’s gentle vibes on “Is That SO” while his high hat pops on the bopping “Mellow D” and percolating “Ugetsu”…

Avid Jazz here presents three classic Tubby Hayes albums “The Jazz Couriers - In Concert”, “The Couriers Of Jazz”, “Tubby’s Groove” plus four tracks from “Pub Crawling with Jimmy Deuchar”.
Hailed as “England’s greatest jazz combo”, Ronnie Scott and Tubby Hayes formed the Couriers to bring their message to the world that British jazz was alive and kicking! Joined by Terry Shannon on piano, Phil Bates on bass and Bill Eyden on drums we find them on a double bill with Dave Brubeck live at the Dominion Theatre in early February 1958. Wearing their influences on their sleeves, Brubeck was heard to declare “They sound more like an American band than we do”. Moving ahead to November 1958 and the Couriers had been joined by Jeff Clyne on bass for a recording in London which clearly shows how British jazz was beginning to take it to their American cousins…