Louis Hayes' Blue Note career began when he joined Horace Silver's quintet in 1956, aged 18. He went on to record five albums with the pianist bandleader, left to join Cannonball Adderley when the alto-saxophonist was in his prime – he stayed for seven years. His session credits are a who's who of modern jazz greats. Hayes, never a showy drummer, distilled the innovations of the modern jazz pioneers into the essential business of firing-up the pulse and conducting the band. Over the years, he refined the style further, and now delivers the core functions with such spring, bounce and dependability that the fine detail of his playing can easily get overlooked. He's a perfect fit to celebrate the legacy of Horace Silver, his first major-league employer. Silver's tunes always sound easy on the ear, but lurking beneath the surface will be a quirky chord sequence, awkward tempo or twist in the tail. Hayes' band rise to the challenge with an in-style set of covers that take in the relaxed medium lope of ‘Señor Blues’, the rarely covered ‘Hastings Street’ and the up-tempo ‘Room 608’. Silver's ‘Lonely Woman’ is a ballad highlight for the rhythm section while vocalist Gregory Porter adds sunshine and warmth to a sultry ‘Song for My Father’, which has been released as a single. All the soloists have something to say within the theme-and-variations format. Vibraphonist Steve Nelson is on form, but it is the seasoned, relatively unknown tenor saxophonist Abraham Burton who consistently delivers. The Mingus Big Band/Dynasty regular has credits as long as your arm, and gets the balance of muscle, melody and soul just right.