barabara sounds sez:
Tubby Hayes from 1962... He's in NYC, been playing gigs down in the Village, and he goes into the studio with a scratch group of musicians, most of whom have never heard of him before.
There's Walter Bishop Jr. on piano — he's the only one who's ever actually played with Tubby; the rhythm section is Sam Jones and Louis Hayes; on tenor there's James Moody (for contractual reasons he goes by the unimaginative alias of 'Jimmy Gloomy'); and then there's a reed player who has an array of horns with improbably names, many of which he plays at once — yup, Roland Kirk. Not bad for a tag team...
It doesn't take them long to gell and to jam. Produced by Quincy Jones, it's a great date. Tubby sounds commanding on vibes as well as his usual sax, and he's definitely not overawed by the company. Enjoy.
AMG (Yanow) sez:
One of Britain’s top jazz musicians of the 1950s and ’60s, Tubby Hayes was a fine hard bop stylist on tenor and occasionally vibes and flute. A professional at 15, Hayes... co-led the Jazz Couriers with Ronnie Scott (1957-59), and appeared in the U.S. a few times during 1961-65. He headed his own big band in London, sat in with Duke Ellington’s Orchestra in 1964, and was featured at many European festivals. Heart trouble forced him out of action during 1969-1971, and caused his premature death. Tubby Hayes led sessions for Tempo (1955-1959), London, Jazzland (1959), Fontana, Epic (a 1961 date with Clark Terry and Horace Parlan), Smash (a 1962 album which matched him with James Moody and Roland Kirk), 77, Spotlite, and Mole.
David Baxter sez:
A Saturday morning in June 1962 and Tubby Hayes arrives at the recording studio on West 48th Street in New York City... Introductions are made. One member wonders who Tubby Hayes is, asks if he's a rock 'n' roll singer... Producer Quincy Jones suggests maybe they get started. But what to play? They don't have a play list, have never rehearsed. Apart from pianist Walter Bishop Jnr, Tubbs has never met any of them. Quincy suggests they warm up with a blues, and they choose `Stitt's Tune`, the theme of Tubb's old band The Jazz Couriers — Tubbs and Gloomy on tenor sax, Roland Kirk providing counter melody on manzello and stritch, his customary hybrid horns.
Next it's a minor blues - a Kirk original 'I See With My Third "I"', then a ballad medley, including 'Alone Together,' one of Tubbs' favourites. Next Tubbs switches to vibes for 'Afternoon In Paris,' with solos from Kirk and Gloomy on tenors and Bishop on piano, and an unrehearsed coda from one-man brass section Kirk on tenor, manzello and stritch. They round off the session with another Kirk original 'Lady "E"', with Tubbs still on vibes and Kirk on flute.
And then they're through. Just time for bassist and drummer Sam Jones and Louis Hayes to get to Birdland and Kirk to the Five Spot for their first sets, and for Tubbs to return to the UK. In the space of just a few short hours they've recorded an exciting and memorable jazz album. That's how it was and them were the days.
personnel:
Tubby Hayes tenor sax, vibes; Roland Kirk tenor sax, manzello, flute, nose flute, stritch; Jimmy Gloomy tenor sax, flute; Walter Bishop Jr. piano; Sam Jones bass; Louis Hayes drums
Tracks:
1. Afternoon In Paris 5:46; 2. I See My Third "I" 9:27; 3. Lady "E" 3:15; 4. Stitt's Tune 9:51; 5. Medley: If I Had You; Alone Together; For Heaven's Sake 7:24
Want to get more Tubby?
There's plenty of early Tubby Hayes — plus lots more — over at BritJazz