Tubby Hayes

2024 Stock  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.

Limited LP