Tubby Hayes - The Complete Fontana Albums (September 27, 2019)

[ghost of miles]

Set arrived last night and I’ve just started listening. The booklet looks amazing after a quick skim-through—can’t wait to read it at length. And the sound on Tubbs is excellent (it’s playing right now) as I’m sure it will be across the whole of the set. Thank you so much, Simon, for helming this project. I have your Hayes biography and this will be added impetus to read it ASAP. 

This will be a no-brainer for a best-of-2020 roundup. (Yes, technically it came out in late 2019, but like the new Mobley and Herman Mosaics, I consider it 2020-eligible, given that all three collections were released so close to the end of the year, are just now being listened to, and haven’t really begun to receive any write-ups yet in the jazz media... at least that I’ve seen. I may well have missed some.) 

On 1/5/2020 at 3:25 PM, gmonahan said:

 Tubby reminds me of Sal Nistico (a favorite of mine) in his ability to move on fast tunes.

 

 

gregmo

That’s an interesting comparison—I can hear that! I was listening to a 1966 Woody Herman concert the other day and was reminded of how much I love Nistico’s playing with that band, especially on the uptempo numbers.

[sidewinder]

I hear a heck of a lot of Stan Getz’s lyrical influence in Tubby’s playing - especially in the later period. Some Hank Mobley in there too. All part of the unique, personal mix that he put together.

Edited January 9, 2020 by sidewinder

[BillF]

2 minutes ago, sidewinder said:

I hear a heck of a lot of Stan Getz’s lyrical influence in Tubby’s playing - especially in the later period. Some Hank Mobley in there too. All part of the unique, personal mix that he put together.

The Getz influence is certainly mentioned in Spillett's biography of Tubby. I don't recall if Tubby acknowledged it or whether Spillett just reads it into his analysis of Hayes's style, but the appeal of Getz's fluidity is remarked on.

6 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

Set arrived last night and I’ve just started listening. The booklet looks amazing after a quick skim-through—can’t wait to read it at length. And the sound on Tubbs is excellent (it’s playing right now) as I’m sure it will be across the whole of the set. Thank you so much, Simon, for helming this project. I have your Hayes biography and this will be added impetus to read it ASAP. 

This will be a no-brainer for a best-of-2020 roundup. (Yes, technically it came out in late 2019, but like the new Mobley and Herman Mosaics, I consider it 2020-eligible, given that all three collections were released so close to the end of the year, are just now being listened to, and haven’t really begun to receive any write-ups yet in the jazz media... at least that I’ve seen. I may well have missed some.) 

That’s an interesting comparison—I can hear that! I was listening to a 1966 Woody Herman concert the other day and was reminded of how much I love Nistico’s playing with that band, especially on the uptempo numbers.

Have you heard the lengthy discussion between Hayes and Nistico? Fascinating stuff! It's included in the Hayes Inventivity album.

[ghost of miles]

3 hours ago, BillF said:

The Getz influence is certainly mentioned in Spillett's biography of Tubby. I don't recall if Tubby acknowledged it or whether Spillett just reads it into his analysis of Hayes's style, but the appeal of Getz's fluidity is remarked on.

Have you heard the lengthy discussion between Hayes and Nistico? Fascinating stuff! It's included in the Hayes Inventivity album.

I’ll seek that out! Just finished listening to Tubbs In N.Y. from the Fontana box.

Edited January 10, 2020 by ghost of miles

[romualdo]

4 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

I’ll seek that out! Just finished listening to Tubbs In N.Y. from the Fontana box.

such a pity they couldn't obtain those four extra tracks from the same sessions & add them to this definitive release

I've had to suffice with that 1990 Columbia CD - actually the only source I think (2 of the 4 were on the LP version)

[BillF]

7 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

I’ll seek that out! Just finished listening to Tubbs In N.Y. from the Fontana box.

My favourite Hayes album!

[SimonSpill]

Tubby certainly acknowledged Getz' influence in several interviews.

[sidewinder]

3 hours ago, SimonSpill said:

Tubby certainly acknowledged Getz' influence in several interviews.

I was impressed also that his listening list in hospital, as mentioned in your book, included Woody Shaw on cassette. I wonder what could have been - Blackstone Legacy?

[SimonSpill]

18 hours ago, sidewinder said:

I was impressed also that his listening list in hospital, as mentioned in your book, included Woody Shaw on cassette. I wonder what could have been - Blackstone Legacy?

Spot on.

Coltrane's 'Sun Ship', Joe Henderson's 'Tetragon', Sonny Rollins' 'Next Album', Stan Getz' playing Bacharach compositions, some CTI Freddie Hubbard, a bit of Joe Farrell and Zoot Sims playing 'Applecore' with the Mulligan Concert Jazz Band were among the things he was listening to on cassette in hospital at the end.

[sidewinder]

Thanks for that. Fascinating - listening to the last (electrified) session on the Ian Hamer ‘Acropolis’ you can hear some of that influence on the overall vibe. Maybe Alan Branscombe was also listening to George Cables !

[Misterioso]

Just finished the 90-page "liner notes" written by Simon Spillett. These must be the most extensive liner notes I have in my music collection. Very informative for a Tubby Hayes newcomer like me. Thank you for these magnificent notes, @SimonSpill. I very much enjoyed your work. This is truly an outstanding box set in every respect.

[SimonSpill]

Thank you, Misterioso. Very happy to hear you've enjoyed the notes.

[Kyo]

I've been listening to this stuff on Google Music Play and digging it a lot. So I just placed my order for the big CD box set - gotta support this!

I also managed to find a cheap copy of the New York Sessions CD, which I also ordered.

Edited February 8, 2020 by Kyo

[John Tapscott]

On 2/1/2020 at 0:31 AM, Misterioso said:

Just finished the 90-page "liner notes" written by Simon Spillett. These must be the most extensive liner notes I have in my music collection. Very informative for a Tubby Hayes newcomer like me. Thank you for these magnificent notes, @SimonSpill. I very much enjoyed your work. This is truly an outstanding box set in every respect.

I totally agree with this. I too read the whole booklet. Couldn't put it down. And I'm on my third listen to the music.  Terrific stuff made all the more interesting by the essay.  

Edited to add; The critical reviews of of Tubby quoted in the notes now seem very quaint.  The music has held up; the criticisms have not.  

Edited February 21, 2020 by John Tapscott

[SimonSpill]

On 2/21/2020 at 2:22 PM, John Tapscott said:

I totally agree with this. I too read the whole booklet. Couldn't put it down. And I'm on my third listen to the music.  Terrific stuff made all the more interesting by the essay.  

Edited to add; The critical reviews of of Tubby quoted in the notes now seem very quaint.  The music has held up; the criticisms have not.  

Thank you, John. Very pleased you took the time to read it.

[ghost of miles]

Reason #373 why I love to do jazz radio, especially here in Bloomington--so I'm featuring Mexican Green today on the show (taken from the Fontana box-set) and just got this email from a Bloomingtonian jazz pianist who's a UK native:

Hi David

I was at a concert by the visiting Duke Ellington band at London Festival Hall in the 1960s at a time when Paul Gonsalves was the hit tenor man for his marathon number Diminuendo and Crescendo (?). The band came on stage announced one by one, with the audience in heightened anticipation of welcoming Gonsalves. There was no Gonsalves. He was ‘indisposed’, to the great disappointment from the crowd. So who was to be his dep? There was a pause - - and then who walked on but Tubby Hayes!! Roars of surprised delight from the London crowd with whom Tubby was already a firm favorite and national star. And Tubby did us, and the Ellington band proud!

I knew the story from Simon's bio, but still such a kick to get that email from a listener who actually attended the show!

[sidewinder]

Mono Media (the guys who put out the Tubby Hayes doc) have just put out a short drama film covering several days in the life of Tubby in 1967. Perhaps this is a taster for a longer play/drama feature?

https://youtu.be/t6vjf_CPcOs

[sgcim]

The screenplay was written by the same guy who wrote the bio on Tubbs, "The Long Shadow of the Little Giant", Simon Spillet.

[sidewinder]

8 hours ago, sgcim said:

The screenplay was written by the same guy who wrote the bio on Tubbs, "The Long Shadow of the Little Giant", Simon Spillet.

Indeed. Maybe, with a bit of luck, Simon (a fellow board member) might comment on this playlet and the intentions behind it?

I was trying to work out the identity of the (listed as fictional) participants in those scenes. Obviously Ronnie Scott for one. The female in the rehearsal room I thought might be based on Joy Marshall as she mentions the Dankworth Band but according to Simon’s book by 1967 Tubbs had flushed her wig down the toilet ! So maybe not. The strung-out guy nodding on the sofa in braces in the flat (‘Bob’) seems to be another musician so perhaps Bobby Wellins - or Bob Efford?

Edited September 15, 2020 by sidewinder

[mjazzg]

I thought that was pretty good. 

Interesting response in the comments from Mr. Spillett about recognising that Tubby was no saint. 

No surprise to see Mr. Weller as an exec producer.  Glad to know my Jam and Style Council purchases are being put to good use 

Edited September 16, 2020 by mjazzg

[sidewinder]

It needs some tightening up and expanding out to an hour or so but there’s a potential interesting docu-drama there which the likes of BBC4 (if they actually stuck to their remit instead of the endless repeats of stuff from 5-20 years ago ad infinitum) ought to commission as an end product.

Edited September 17, 2020 by sidewinder

[sidewinder]

Seems to have been missed amongst all the Covid fallout but Mono Media also brought out a limited, signed (100 copies) volume about the life of Tubby back in March. Lots of photos of Hayes’ memorabilia and diary records etc. including input from the Hayes Estate.

Edited September 20, 2020 by sidewinder

[mjazzg]

That was all over Twitter at the time. I decided it was a luxury I and my shelves could live without.

 

[sidewinder]

11 minutes ago, mjazzg said:

That was all over Twitter at the time. I decided it was a luxury I and my shelves could live without.

 

Would be a great accompaniment to the Tubby Hayes LP box though ! 

[djcavanagh]

Always a bit concerning when you have to contact them just to get the price!