For American jazz fans, tenor saxist Tubby Hayes had two strikes against him. First, he was a Brit, and most Americans don’t care what Europeans sound like, especially ones that played in the 60s and 70s. Second, he died in 1972 at the unfortunate age of 38, so only fans of British tenor saxists from the Nixon Administration and before would appreciate this guy. Well, he was a BIG name in Britain, and this concert recording from February of 1972, shows what we missed then and what we’re missing now.
He’s got a Lester Young breathiness to his tone, and swings like there’s no tomorrow. He also plays the flute, and lithely demonstrated on the gorgeous reading of “Autumn Leaves” here. He’s backed up by the Tony Lee trio of Tony/p, Tony Archer/b and Dick Brennan/dr through a lyrical set. The sound quality is “good-bootleg” quality, sort of like the Lester Young gigs from Washington in 1956. We catch Hayes in an incomplete “Symphony” which sparkles and a room filling ballad on “I Thought About You.” The trio shows its cohesive joy on ”A Certain Smile” and Hayes and Company close the evening with a bopping to heaven read of “Sonnymoon For Two.” What the disc lacks in sonic erudition, it makes up for in passion.
Acrobat Music