Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Tubby Hayes: Symphony – The Lost Session

4

Tubby Hayes: Symphony – The Lost Session

By

View read count
Tubby Hayes: Symphony – The Lost Session


This newly unearthed archival recording took place on February 8th 1972 at The Hopbine, a public house and popular jazz venue in Wembley, on the northern outskirts of London and as with all Tubby Hayes' music, is of great historic importance. The gig happened just a few months after Hayes' comeback following heart valve surgery in the previous year. The title track, a tune Hayes had recorded 13 years previously for a Blue Note "audition" session, provides a roaring start to the proceedings and clearly demonstrates that Hayes' cardiac issues had not dented his musical abilities one iota, as a cascade of notes tumble effortlessly from Hayes' tenor sax.

A short but elegant piano solo from Tony Lee introduces the timeless standard "Autumn Leaves" on which Tubby Hayes plays flute with all the characteristic aplomb that he delivered on his 1964 album Tubbs' Tours, and even inserts a few bars of "wild" flute towards the end of his solo, closing the 14 minute track with a scintillating coda.

Tony Lee is showcased on "A Certain Smile" which is a trio-only number. Until his death in 2004 Lee was a mainstay of British jazz and led his successful trio for many years. Although perhaps not as fêted as some of his other contemporaries on the British jazz scene, he was nevertheless a player of undisputed ability and highly regarded by his peers and audiences alike. This track is a good example of his fluent talent.

The ballad "I Thought About You" gives Hayes the opportunity to disprove the myth that his performances were all about notes per second, although that was undoubtedly one of the signal characteristics of this extraordinary musician. His tenor sax playing was also able to evince delicateness and sensitivity when required.

The closing number is Sonny Rollins' "Sonnymoon For Two" which Hayes originally recorded on his 1966 big band album for Fontana, 100% Proof and is played here with typical dynamism all round, up to and including the last of the customary fours and a crackling drum solo from Dick Brennan.

The only slight problem with this CD is that due to the position of the single microphone, the amount of extraneous noise picked-up, such as audience conversation, does tend to compromise the overall quality of the recording. This is especially noticeable when the piano is soloing, presumably due to its relative distance from the microphone. However, that caveat aside, this recording is a further glowing testament to the genius of "The Little Giant" and another essential purchase for all Tubbs' fans.

Track Listing

Symphony; Autumn Leaves; A Certain Smile; I Thought About You; Sonnymoon For Two

Personnel

Tubby Hayes
saxophone, tenor

Tubby Hayes: tenor sax,flute; Tony Lee: piano; Tony Archer: bass; Dick Brennan: drums

Album information

Title: Symphony – The Lost Session | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Acrobat Music

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT




Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

Near

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.