Kevin Hayes
Piano Solo on
Salt Peanuts

About

Kevin Hayes follows Joshua Redman with two equally impressive piano choruses on "Salt Peanuts" at approximately 333 BPM, his fingers racing through the harmony of this "I Got Rhythm" contrafact with clarity and swing. The 32-bar AABA form in F at this extreme tempo demands exceptional technical command, and Hayes rises to the challenge with an improvisation that balances velocity with musical coherence. As the second of three soloists between Redman's saxophone and Gregory Hutchinson's drums, his two-chorus statement maintains the competitive, virtuosic energy that has always been central to the bebop tradition.

Kevin Hayes was 23 to 24 years old at the time.