His father played drums and piano and his mother the piano and he refers to the early influence of hearing jazz, especially that of big bands, on the radio. His main influence was Philly Joe Jones and he was mentored by Papa Jo Jones.
Hayes led a band in Detroit as a teenager and worked with Yusef Lateef and Curtis Fuller from 1955-1956. His three most notable associations are the Horace Silver Quintet (1956–1959), the Cannonball Adderley Quintet (1959–1965), and the Oscar Peterson Trio (1965–1967). Hayes often teamed up with Sam Jones, both with Adderley and Peterson, and in freelance settings.
Louis Hayes led a group at clubs in Detroit before he was 16. He moved to New York in August 1956 to replace Art Taylor in the Horace Silver Quintet and in 1959 joined the Cannonball Adderley Quintet, with which he remained until mid-1965, when he succeeded Ed Thigpen in the Oscar Peterson Trio. He left Peterson in 1967 and formed a series of groups, which he led alone or with others; among his sidemen were Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Kenny Barron, and James Spaulding. He returned to Peterson in 1971.
The Louis Hayes Sextet, which he formed in 1972, became in 1975 the Louis Hayes-Junior Cook Quintet and the Woody Shaw-Louis Hayes Quintet (Cook remained as a sideman until Rene McLean joined); in its last form the quintet played successful engagements throughout Europe and (without McLean) acted as the host group when, in 1976, Dexter Gordon visited the U.S. for the first time in many years. After Shaw left the group in 1977, Hayes continued to lead it as a hard-bop quintet.
From the 1970s onward, he led a variety of groups including a quintet co-led by Junior Cook and Woody Shaw. Louis Hayes has appeared on many records throughout the years, and played with John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Timmons, Hank Mobley, Booker Little, Tommy Flanagan, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, Ray Brown, Joe Henderson, Gary Bartz, Tony Williams and Dexter Gordon. He also led sessions for Vee-Jay (1960), Timeless (1976), Muse (1977), Candid (1989), Steeplechase (1989–1994), and TCB (2000–2002). Today he mentors young jazz artists, and continues to perform with a variety of other musicians both old and young.
He was with McCoy Tyner's trio for over three years. Since 1989 he has led his own band, and together with Vincent Herring formed the Cannonball Legacy Band.
Lush Life
Louis Hayes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Those come-what-may places
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
To get the feel of life from jazz and cocktails
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
With distinguish traces that used to be there
You could see where they'd been washed away
Then you came along with your siren song
To tempt me to madness
I thought for awhile that your poignant smile
Was tinged with the sadness of a great love for me
Ah, yes, I was wrong, again, I was wrong
Life is lonely again and only last year
Everything seemed so sure
Now life is awful again a trough full of hearts
Could only be a bore
A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
All I care is to smile in spite of it
I'll forget you, I will while yet you are still
Burning inside my brain
Romance is mush stifling those who strive
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be while I rot with the rest
Of those whose lives are lonely too
Romance is mush stifling those who strive
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
And there I'll be while I rot with the rest
Of those whose lives are lonely too
The song Lush Life by jazz drummer Louis Hayes is a melancholic ballad that centers around a narrator who reminisces about his past life of visiting “very gay places” where he would immerse himself in the jazz music and cocktails that were a staple in such locations. These were places where one could take a break from the fast-paced nature of life, to truly experience what it means to be alive. The singer describes the girls he used to know, who had sad and sullen faces, with distinguishable traces of their former beauty, which have been washed away by the hardships of life.
Then the singer recalls a specific moment in his life when a woman came along with her siren song and tempted him into madness. He explains how he believed for a moment that her poignant smile was tinged with the sadness of a great love for him. However, as it turns out, he was wrong, and he is now lonely and life is awful once again. He hopes that a week in Paris could ease the pain, but ultimately, he understands that all he cares about is to smile in spite of the loneliness that is burning inside his brain.
The song then concludes with the singer professing that he will live a lush life in some small dive, where he will forget about past loves and loneliness. He recognizes that romance is stifling for those who strive, and he would rather be in a small dive, living life as it comes. The song is a poignant reminder of the transitory nature of life and love and the power of music to help us cope with our troubles.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to visit all the very gay places
I used to frequent bars and clubs, regardless of their quality
Those come-what-may places
I would go anywhere, even if it wasn't glamorous
Where one relaxes on the axis of the wheel of life
These places were where people could take a break from the stress of life
To get the feel of life from jazz and cocktails
The combination of jazz music and alcohol provided a sense of life and energy
The girls I knew had sad and sullen gray faces
The women I met had experienced hardship and it showed on their faces
With distinguish traces that used to be there
You could see the evidence of their past struggles
You could see where they'd been washed away
Their beauty had been eroded by their experiences
By too many through the day, twelve O'clock tales
They had been worn down by the struggles of everyday life
Then you came along with your siren song
You appeared with an enticing offer
To tempt me to madness
You tried to make me lose control
I thought for awhile that your poignant smile
I believed your sad smile was a sign of your deep love for me
Was tinged with the sadness of a great love for me
I thought the sadness in your smile was a reflection of your love for me
Ah, yes, I was wrong, again, I was wrong
I made another mistake in trusting you
Life is lonely again and only last year
My life is lonely again, even though it wasn't that long ago I felt content
Everything seemed so sure
I thought my life was stable and certain
Now life is awful again a trough full of hearts
My life has become miserable and full of heartbreak
Could only be a bore
My life has become monotonous
A week in Paris could ease the bite of it
A short vacation could alleviate some of the pain and sadness
All I care is to smile in spite of it
My only desire is to pretend everything is okay and try to be happy
I'll forget you, I will while yet you are still
I will try to forget you, even though you are still on my mind
Burning inside my brain
You are still tormenting me mentally
Romance is mush stifling those who strive
Love can be suffocating and hold back people trying to achieve their goals
I'll live a lush life in some small dive
So, I will try to live a luxurious life, even if it's in a dingy bar
And there I'll be while I rot with the rest
And then I will stay there among the other lonely and forgotten people
Of those whose lives are lonely too
Who, like me, are living lonely and unfulfilling lives
Lyrics © K SMITH MUSIC CO., Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Billy Strayhorn
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind