By direct descent from the Max Roach and Clifford Brown band and Art Blakey and the Messengers, Louis Hayes is one of contemporary hard bop"s premier drummers and bandleaders. Throughout Quintessential Lou, his drums provide a secure, melodious, and uplifting drive. The tasteful tune selection is marked by references to Hayes"s lifetime of leading bands--from his early teen years in Detroit onward. The band"s solos tote shades of Woody Shaw, Oscar Peterson, Freddie Hubbard, and Dexter Gordon. Hayes"s group (featuring trumpeter Riley Mullins, tenor saxophonist Abraham Burton, pianist Dave Hazeltine, and bassist Santi Debriano) runs through material by Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, and Joe Zawinul, delivering a strong, cohesive voice in which personality has precedence over ego. It"s music for the head and heart. --Ben Clarke