It'll be heaven for jazz fans at White Rock's Blue Frog Studios this Sunday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m. when the Coastal Jazz Society presents Louis Hayes and the Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band.
Drummer Hayes' high-octane hard bop band pays tribute to the music of his former employer, legendary alto saxist Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley.
Hayes is something of a legend himself – for more than 40 years he has been a catalyst for energetic, unrelenting swing in both his own bands and groups led by such other luminaries as tenor-saxist-multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, and pianists Horace Silver and Oscar Peterson.
His live work as a sideman and leader have been augmented by countless recordings on Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside and other labels with such stellar jazzmen as John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, J.J. Johnson, Jackie McLean, Wes Montgomery, Cedar Walton, Dexter Gordon, Woody Shaw, George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson and McCoy Tyner.
It was in Vancouver in 2013 that Hayes Cannonball Adderley Legacy Band recorded Live @ Cory Weeds' Cellar Jazz Club, considered their finest recorded effort thus far (it made it to number one for two weeks on the Jazz Week charts).
The all-star band is reuniting on the coast for the Blue Frog concert, including Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Vincent Herring, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt (of the Mingus Big Band), New York pianist Rick Germanson, and in-demand young bassist Dezron Douglas.
For tickets, call 604-542-3055 or visit www.bluefrogstudios.ca
– Alex Browne