Played two of his best last night:
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On Tubbs In New York he certainly holds his own with Horace Parlan, Dave Bailey, Clark Terry etc. Looking forward to hearing Return Visit today with Tubby alongside Roland Kirk, Sam Jones, Louis Hayes etc
Does seem like a bit of musical snobbery was taking place at the time.
Very similar to Reggae in that back in the mid to late seventies many upcoming British bands were looked down upon as not authentic. Theres an amusing story of how Dennis Bovell combatted this by disguising his vinyl pressings to make them appear like Jamaican imports and they flew out the shops.
Funny how things turn around but in my view the current young British “Jazz” scene is far more vibrant and engaging than most of what’s coming from the US these days
I may get shot down in flames here but for example am I alone in finding Kamasi Washington vastly over hyped & over rated?
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Loving this! Just played Return Visit, Late Spot & Down At The Village. So far each LP taken chronologically betters the previous.
Interesting that you comment about the ferocity and drive of the US players of the time. Compared generally to a lot of the mostly Blue Note hard bop of the time that I have I find these Tubby Hayes recordings to be more measured and musically involving, perhaps subjectively less flashy than the arguably more self indulgent pyrotechnic playing from across the pond.
@Richard.Dane I think I hear what you say about the limitations of the recording on Down In The Village. Late Spot which is recorded from the same session makes me imagine that I’m sat in the audience and draws you in to the performance in a nicely involving way, by comparison Down In The Village sounds a little oddly veiled and distant and lacking the live ambience of the former. Maybe time hasn’t been so kind to the tape for Village.
Cracking music all the same.
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I think it was Simon Spillett in his notes who mentioned that there was a ‘touch of the palais dance orchestra’ about British Modern Jazz of this period including those Tubby Hayes Fontanas and I think that comment is bang on. Geraldo and co. were never that far away !
Isn’t it ‘Late Spot’ that has the more compromised sound?
Not to my ears
Ive not read the booklet yet but thats perhaps more than a bit unfair, maybe hes referring to the later Orchestra recordings in the box, not reached those yet. I guess in those times if British modern Jazz players were being disregarded, playing in dance bands was a way of getting paid.
Mind you wasnt the precursor to more progressive Jazz in the US swing and dance bands, with Bird, Dizzy et al playing in those bands then doing the Be Bop thing after hours initially
Sorry if my ignorance is showing but who are Geraldo & co?
I felt that Down in the Village sounded excellent in a kind of raw, slightly dry, but very immediate way.
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Maybe it’s my system but raw and dry seemed to translate into veiled and distant as I commented above, but only in comparison to Late Spot which I played immediately before without a break. How do you find they compare?
Obviously I am only having an initial listen maybe with repeated listening my view might change
I’ll hand to compare another time. Right now I’m in heaven with one of the finest lp reissues I’ve heard in a long time (I’ll post elsewhere on here about it)…
I take it it’s not a Jazz record
Not really, no. But it’s a great record all the same.
Haha! Why the mystery?
No mystery. It’s on the what vinyl have you just bought thread. The latest from Intervention Records, Joan Armatrading’s self titled album.
I thought you were teasing me. Never really got into Joan Armatrading dont know why just doesnt seem to connect with me.
That’s ok. Not for everybody, but I love this album.
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New label to me, just had a look, some good stuff there
Cheers
I have a the Stealers wheel LPs and Murray Head and they’re superb. I hesitated on the Joe Jackson’s and regret it. I hear they’re being re-pressed so will probably get at least Night and Day, which is more of a jazz vibe so you might like that too…
Many of the early British modernists, including Hayes and Ronnie Scott, learnt their trade in dance orchestras on the Mecca Circuit etc. so no surprise that that influence was significant. Only in the later generation with Collier, Westbrook, Surman et al did the influence fade out.
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