More Tubby Hayes archival recordings being excavated

Previously unheard tapes from three sessions recorded in 1965 promise to present other sides of British jazz great Tubby Hayes.  

Here's the scoop from Simon Spillett...

As part of this autumn's concerted campaign to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Tubby Hayes pioneering New York debut (a series of quartet and big band gigs, a screening of Mark Baxter and Lee Cogswell's documentary 'Tubby Hayes: A Man In A Hurry', two new archive CD releases on the Jazz in Britain label and a cover feature in 'Jazzwise') I'm currently working on a further issue of previously unheard Hayes recordings, this time from slightly later in his career, the year 1965.

This was a pivotal time for Tubby, both professionally and personally, one in which much of his 'old' world began to crumble while paradoxically he set in place the foundations of the next phase of his eventful existence. It was a story of suicide attempts and sackings as well as international bookings and globally acclaimed saxophone artistry. Indeed no year in Hayes' short life quite matches its balance of triumph and tragedy.

One critic writing of Hayes that year observed that he was 'capable of coming to terms with aspects of the "new thing"', the fashionable term for the avant garde.

Another conversely believed he had 'reached his peak some years ago.'

Singer Joy Marshall makes an appearance

These newly unearthed recordings from 1965 tell a somewhat more nuanced tale, one in which the saxophonist's appetite for new challenges resulted in music at once vivid, energised and ambitious. 

These tapes offer live versions of several Hayes set-pieces of the day, as well as the notable first appearance of his soon-to-be-legendary self-penned big band and tenor concerto '100% Proof' but what is perhaps even more impressive is how they reveal Hayes to have remained, a decade into his career as a bandleader in his own right, a central catalyst, one around whom all manner of British jazzmen, both established and neophyte, would gather.

Those featuring on this forthcoming release include the expected (Terry Shannon, Jeff Clyne, Ronnie Stephenson), the enigmatic (drummer Benny Goodman) and the iconic (Bobby Wellins, Kenny Wheeler). There is even room for players who are rarely thought of as Hayes associates, such as West Indian trumpeter Shake Keane. Hayes' then girlfriend, the American vocalist Joy Marshall is also showcased.

Across three separate sessions, heard on tenor, flute and vibraphone, Hayes once again carves his legend, offering music as passionately driven as anything familiar from his studio-taped albums. And, as was always the case with this most engaging of live performers, the presence of an enthusiastic audience further fuels his fire.

Once again, I'm thrilled to be working on a project aimed at bringing still more of the work of this singular genius to new listeners. Although there have been plenty of archive British jazz issues of late, all of them valuable and worthy of deeper study, this new Hayes one promises to be something very special indeed.   – Simon Spillett, author of The Long Shadow of the Little Giant: The Life, Work and Legacy of Tubby Hayes (Equinox)

NOTE: Simon Spillett's newly-formed Big Band will be performing recently-rediscovered arrangements of classics by UK jazz legend Tubby Hayes on Sunday, October 17 as part of the Herts Jazz Festival 2021. This 17-piece band features many of the top UK jazz players and makes this an unmissable experience. https://southmillarts.ticketsolve.com/shows/873624814

Watch Tubby Hayes and crew blast through "The Killers of W1" on the BBC in 1965 below.