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Tubby Hayes: Without a Song – Rare Live Recordings 1954-73

By Roger Farbey
November 18, 2014
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Tubby Hayes: Without a Song – Rare Live Recordings 1954-73

This comprehensive 3-CD box set comprises 22 previously unissued live tracks constituting a veritable cornucopia for Tubby Hayes fans. It also benefits from 31 pages of extensive, informed and intelligent sleeve notes from the redoubtable Hayes biographer Simon Spillett, plus some previously unseen photographs.

CD-1 opens with a rousing "Bark for Barksdale" by the Vic Lewis Orchestra from 1954 and a confident tenor solo from Hayes aged just nineteen. On the 1959 recording of "Swinging the Blues," compere Brian Mathew gives a running commentary of the solos, reminiscent of (and surely an inspiration for) The Bonzo Dog Band's "The Intro and the Outro"; bizarre, but useful for the radio listener who had no access to the personnel details of the performance.

Following an exhilarating version of "Cherokee" the tracks start to shift from Swing into a more modern idiom, "In the Night" (which first appeared on Hayes' 1964 album for Fontana Tubbs' Tours) here is given an unusual interpretation with the opening melody played on a harp, and later taken up by Hayes on soprano. A full and rounded performance of "There is no Greater Love" concludes the first CD.

A Milesian "Modes and Blues" from 1964 kicks off CD-2, and at this point signifies no turning back for Hayes who was already embracing modal jazz enthusiastically whilst at the same time maintaining the elements of swing and hard bop that were his inimitable trademarks both in terms of performance and composition. "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" and "Have You Seen Miss Jones" capture the vibrancy of extended Hayes tenor solos. Incidentally, check out the spectacular bass solo by Ron Mathewson on the latter track. The excitement generated by the Commonwealth Jazz Orchestra's rendition of Hayes' magnum opus "100% Proof" is palpable.

CD-3, reflecting the last decade of Hayes' life, which prematurely ended at just 38, leads with Carla Bley's elegant "Sing Me Softly of the Blues," here with Hayes on an all-out flute foray. Back on tenor, Hayes gives his all on another of his later compositions "Dear Johnny B" from his album Mexican Green . Another example of the high calibre of musicianship on this collection is found in "I Thought About You" with an exemplary solo by the too-rarely heard virtuoso bassist Daryl Runswick.

One major bonus for listeners is that the music selected here moves swiftly over three decades charting a broad overview of Hayes' work in both big band and small group settings, stylistically progressing from swing to hard bop to modal to Hayes' own synthesis of all of them and is surely a reflection of the diverse talent of this unique British jazz multi-instrumentalist and composer. The only minor drawback here is that due to the provenance of the rare tapes used in this unique collection, some sound quality is not brilliant. However, the unfettered enthusiasm and sheer verve of these extraordinary musical performances far outweighs any sonic imperfections. With a jaw-dropping roll-call of contributory musicians found on these recordings, this set is a must, not just for Hayes fans but for all fans of British jazz.

Track Listing

CD 1: (1954-63) Bark For Barksdale (Vic Lewis Orchestra); Room 608 (Jazz From London); Love Walked In (The Jazz Couriers); 4. Sonny Sounds (Tubby Hayes Octet); Swinging The Blues (Jazz Saturday, Dixieland and After); Cherokee (Tubby Hayes with the Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra); In The Night (Tubby Hayes Quintet with David Snell); Milestones (Daily Mail International Jazz Festival All-Stars); There Is No Greater Love (Daily Mail International Jazz Festival All-Stars) CD 2: (1964-66) Modes And Blues (Tubby Hayes Quintet); Baubles, Bangles And Beads (Tubby Hayes Big Band); Have You Met Miss Jones (Tubby Hayes with The Tommy Whittle Quartet); Don’t Fall Off The Bridge (Tubby Hayes Quartet); 100% Proof (Tubby Hayes and The Commonwealth Jazz Orchestra); So What (Tubby Hayes Quartet); CD 3: (1966-73) Sing Me Softly Of The Blues (Tubby Hayes Quartet); Dear Johnny B (Tubby Hayes Quartet); Off The Wagon (Tubby Hayes Quartet); I Thought About You (Tubby Hayes Quartet); Sonnymoon For Two (Tubby Hayes and Tony Lee); Here’s That Rainy Day (Tubby Hayes and the Per Husby Trio); Without A Song (Tubby Hayes Quartet)

Personnel

Tubby Hayes

saxophone, tenor

Tubby Hayes: tenor sax, soprano sax, flute, vibraphone; Dave Loban: trumpet; Ronnie Baker: trumpet; Colin Wright: trumpet; Hank Shaw: trumpet; Ian Hamer: trumpet; Stu Hamer: trumpet; Les Condon: trumpet; Dickie Hawdon: trumpet; Derek Abbott: trumpet; Stan Palmer: trumpet; Colin Wright: trumpet; Bob Carson: trumpet; Humphrey Lyttelton: trumpet; Bert Courtley: trumpet; Alex Welsh: trumpet; Kenny Baker: trumpet; Jimmy Deuchar: trumpet, mellophonium; Rob Pronk: trumpet; Milo Pavlovic: trumpet; Fritz Weichbrodt: trumpet; Dusko Goykovich: trumpet; Shake Keane: trumpet; Greg Bowen: trupet; Kenny Wheeler: trumpet; Johnny Watson: trombone; Jack Botterill: trombone; Laurie Franklin: trombone; Laurie Monk: trombone; Tony Russell: trombone; Danny Elwood: trombone; Gary Brown: trombone; Ron Snyder: trombone; John Picard: trombone; Raymond Droz: trombone; Ken Wray: valve trombone; Christian Kellens: trombone; Keith Christie: trombone; Johnny Marshall: trombone; Nat Peck: trombone; Chris Smith: trombone; Ronnie Chamberlain: alto sax; Bernard Allen: alto sax; Alan Branscombe: alto sax, piano; John Dankworth: alto sax; Derek Humble: alto sax; Hans Kretzschmar: alto sax; Joe Harriott: alto sax; Ray Swinfield: alto sax; Ray Warleigh: alto sax; Ronnie Scott: tenor sax; Les Wigfield: tenor sax; Danny Moss: tenor sax; Jimmy Skidmore: tenor sax; Kathy Stobart: tenor sax; Jean-Louis Chautemps: tenor sax; Karl Drewo: tenor sax; Peter King: tenor sax; Bobby Wellins: tenor sax; Tommy Whittle: tenor sax; Art Ellefsen: tenor sax; Brian Rogerson: baritone sax; Ronnie Ross: baritone sax; Joe Temperley: baritone sax; Eddy Busnello: baritone sax; Jackie Sharpe: baritone sax; Don Riddell: piano; Dill Jones: piano; Terry Shannon: piano; Dave Lee: piano; Ian Armit: piano; Francis Coppetiers: piano; Gordon Beck: piano; Kenny Powell: piano; Stan Tracey: piano; Mike Pyne: piano; Tony Lee: piano; Per Husby: piano; Dave Willis: bass; Lennie Bush: bass; Phil Bates: bass; Jeff Clyne: piano; Pete Blannin: bass; Johnny Fischer: bass; Freddy Logan: bass; Coleridge Goode: bass; Ron Mathewson: bass; Danny Thomson: bass; Daryl Runswick: bass; John Moule: bass; Bjorn Atterberg: bass; Lennie Best: vibraphone; Kenny Hollick: drums; Bill Eyden: drums; Eddie Taylor: drums; Kenny Clare: drums; Stuff Combe: drums; Allan Ganley: drums; Dick Brennan: drums; Jackie Dougan: drums; Johnny Butts; Tony Levin: drums; Spike Wells: drums; Tony Oxley: drums; Trevor Taylor: drums; Kjell Johansen: drums