Tubby Hayes - England's Foremost Tenor Sax meets U.S. Jazz Greats / 2CD set

2014 CD collection.

The arrival of English tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes in New York during the autumn of 1961 caused a sensation in American jazz circles. The first British jazz soloist to ever make a guest appearance in a US club, his opening night at the Half Note was attended by figures including Miles Davis, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims, with Metronome describing Hayes as a swinging ambassador from Britain who definitely can hold his own in fast company. At the end of his visit Hayes recorded the album Tubby The Tenor for Epic Records, leading an all-star unit including trumpeter Clark Terry and vibraphonist Eddie Costa.

When he returned to even greater acclaim in June 1962, to play a further season at New Yorks Half Note club, Mercury Records producer Quincy Jones took the opportunity to record Hayes in the company of the Walter Bishop Jr. trio and guest saxophonists Roland Kirk and James Moody, resulting in the Smash album Tubbys Back In Town. The record received a 4 and a half star review in DownBeat, with journalist Harvey Pekar declaring Hayes performance proof that he was capable of giving many well-regarded US tenor players a run for their money.

This release includes both the Epic and Smash albums and adds a previously unreleased recording of Hayes made with pianist Ray Santisis trio in Boston in 1964. It also comes complete with an overview essay by Hayes biographer and fellow saxophonist Simon Spillett.

CD 1
01. You for Me (Haymes) 4:38
02. Airegin (Sonny Rollins) 8:53
03. Soon (G. & I. Gershwin) 7:33
04. Doxy (Sonny Rollins) 9:11
05. Soho Soul (Tubby Hayes) 8:02
06. A Pint of Bitter (Clark Terry) 7:01
07. Opus Ocean (Clark Terry) 7:31
08. Half a Sawbuck (Tubby Hayes) 7:13
09. You're My Everything (Warren-Young-Dixon) 5:07
10. The Simple Waltz (Clark Terry) 8:57

CD 2
01. Stitts Tune (Sonny Stitt) 9:55
02. I See with My Third I (Roland Kirk) 9:30
03. Medley 7:30
a) If I Had You (Shapiro-Campbell-Connelly)
b) Alone Together (Dietz-Schwartz)
c) For Heavens Sake (Meyer-Edwards-Bretton)
04. Afternoon in Paris (John Lewis) 5:49
05. Lady E (Roland Kirk) 3:20
06. Nobody Else But Me (Kern-Hammerstein II) 5:47
07. Interview 2:43
08. Sometimes Ago (Sergio Mihanovich) 7:27
09. Interview continues 2:13
10. Opus Ocean (Clark Terry) 4:44
11. Sonnymoon for Two [Incomplete] (Sonny Rollins) 3:57