Celebrate 2023 NEA Jazz Master Louis Hayes!


By Paulette Beete
Photo of Louis Hayes with quote “I’d like to share this prestigious award in spirit with the many musicians I have played with in my 66-year career. They have helped me to become the artist I am today.”

Louis Hayes’ ability to shift seamlessly between driving hard bop and quiet sensitivity on ballads make him one of the premier drummers in jazz. In addition to being a member of bands led by jazz legends such as Cannonball Adderley, Oscar Peterson, Horace Silver, and McCoy Tyner, through his long career he has recorded on hundreds of sessions as a sought-after sideman. Since the 1970s, he primarily has led his own bands to popular acclaim, often featuring new generations of stellar musicians. MORE. 

Join us Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 pm ET as we celebrate the 2023 NEA Jazz Masters: Regina Carter, Kenny Garrett, Louis Hayes, and Sue Mingus. Watch the Tribute Concert webcast live from the Kennedy Center on www.arts.gov.

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