More from Simon.....

My research has shown that during his hey day barely a month went by without Tubby appearing on a BBC jazz broadcast.
1969 was clearly a purple patch with Tubby's big band and quartet appearing on the Jazz Club, Jazz Workshop and then new Jazz In Britain series.
The quartet featuring Mike Pyne, Ron Mathewson and Spike Wells actually recorded the very first installment of the latter on Friday September 26th (broadcast on October 22nd 1969). Amazingly, Spike Wells recalls that the session, held at BBC Maida Vale studios, started at 9 a.m!
One track from this set, the Hayes flute version of Mike Pyne's devilishly complex A Uttoxeter Idyll was broadcast on the BBC Jazz Legends episode devoted to Tubby in 2001.

Part of the Hayes big band's July 1969 Jazz Workshop session found its way onto CD in 1992 as 200% Proof. The big band and both editions of Tubbys' quartet (featuring Louis Stewart or Mike Pyne) made no less than five other appearances on Jazz Club that year. Three items from the August 6th Jazz Club broadcast were issued as CD only bonus tracks of the Harlequin album Live 1969.

The above effectively encapsulates Tubby's jazz work on radio during this period, however it isn't widely known that from autumn 1968 Tubby made regular appearances in a rather more commercial vein on Radio One's Late Night Extra.
As a featured member of the David Francis Tentette (and billed as such in the Radio Times) Tubby joined a series of mouth wateringly bizarre programme line-ups for a show which, as the Beeb itself put it, promised "music and news; pop; people and places".
Broadcast between ten and midnight on weekdays, the programme was introduced by Terry Wogan (!) or Bob Holness (who once revealed that the first time he saw Tubby was at the old Studio 51 club, sitting on the stage, his feet dangling and a borrowed baritone clamped between his jaws). The Francis Tentette might find itself sharing the bill with guest big bands such as Edmundo Ros or the Radio Big Band and vocalists such as Danny Street and Rosemary Squires. One wonder if any of these survive?

Tubby's association with David Francis was ongoing up until his death in June 1973. Indeed one of Tubby's final big concert appearances was at The Fairfield Hall, Croydon on Friday March 9th 1973 with David Francis and the Sound of Strings. Billed as "a programme of Film and Show music", the concert programme lists such disparate musical treats as a Wild West Medley, and the themes from The Onedin Line and Shaft!
Tucked away towards the end of the night was a version of Moon River featuring Tubby.

The evening prior to the Croydon concert, Tubby had played what would transpire to be among the last half dozen or so gigs he would perform with his quartet. Tubby, Mike Pyne, Ron Mathewson and Spike Wells had travelled to Southend at the behest of former Flamingo compere Bix Curtis (the man to whom Tubby had dedicated his composition The Serpent....use your imagination!) who was then promoting weekly jazz events at a noisy pub named the Top Alex in Alexandra Street.

Tubby and pianist Tony Lee had already played a session at the venue on Sunday February 4th (accompanied by bassist John Moule and avant-garde drummer Trevor Taylor, who nowadays runs the FMR record label and the Soundworld publishing company) but for the March 8th gig Hayes and the quartet appeared opposite the local Kenny Baxter Jazztet (fronted by saxophonist Baxter, still a fixture on the jazz scene in Kent I understand) and, as special guests, trombonist John Picard and tenorist Kathy Stobart.
The final jam session had the Hayes rhythm team accompanying Baxter, Picard, Stobart, Tubby and tenorist Gary Windo, who Tubby had become friendly with during his last year.
It would be Windo who would drive the Hayes quartet to its ill-fated final gig in Brighton on Saturday May 12th 1973, and who would have the unenviable task of replacing Tubby at the last minute when he became too breathless to play.

The Southend gig had a delightful moment when Tubby's patience snapped, as Spike Wells recalled. Irritated by Bix Curtis repeatedly disrupting the evening in order to remind patrons that food was available, Tubby grabbed the microphone and said "Ladies and gentleman, just a brief interruption to tell you that the specialities of the house are filth omelette and vomit pie and chips!"

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I witnessed a performance by Tubbs in the Abergeldie Jazz Club in Aberdeen circa 1961 with Tubbs on Tenor & Vibes and now forgotten bass & very crisp Drums. Tubby displayed a blistering delivery with his phenomenal technique and interspersed with his wonderful touch on Vibes an element of his playing which is oft ignored - see below.  When implored by a modern jazz starved audience to do one more encore Tubby counted in a long but impossibly fast tempo - he blew one note on his tenor and .............said Goodnight!

Another story was of the Reading Jazz Festival when he stepped forward for his solo and in taking a large gulp of air for his intended attack he ingested one of the moths attracted by the spotlights and caused some consternation among fellow musicians as to how to fill those silent bars with sound as Tubbs coughed up and away the dusty mite from the back of his capacious tubes.

Jazz-Eddie

interesting music stands - who designed them - audience friendly, but are they practical for musos?

Tubby's first band started at Southsea Pier on April 1st (prophetic) 1955, and struggled on until October 1956.
The original personnel in the photo was Harry South (piano), Pete Blannin (bass), Lennie Breslow (drums), Dave Usden, Dickie Hawdon (Tpts), Tubby & Jack Sharpe (tenors) and Mike Senn on alto. Bobbie Breen was singer & conga drum. Later Dave Usden was replaced by Ian Hamer. Lennie Breslow by Bill Eyden.

Jazz Eddie - Bobby Breen (was the name borrowed from the American Child singer/actor) also sang with the Dankworth band and had a very pronounced but endearing lisp - this gave a new slant with his enunciation and interpretation of Route 66 - as written by Bobby Troup - Jazz Pianist who was later married to Julie London and mastered her hit "Cry me a River"

Jimmy Deuchar -Tubby Hayes - Suddenly Last Tuesday

Interview with Tubby Hayes

Tubby Hayes - Sal Nistico Exchange
Excerpt about his Vibraphone
NISTICO: I’m told you play excellent vibes, Tubby. I never heard you.
HAYES: I used to play ‘em a lot. I don’t play ‘em very much these days.
NISTICO: How’d you get into that?
HAYES: Through Victor Feldman. When he was with Woody Herman - he came over here for a holiday, or something. It’s about ten years ago now. And we were working together in a club in town. I used to stand there behind him, listening all the time - and I fancied playing ‘em. So when he went back to the States, I bought the instrument off him, that he was using, and I started playing. But I just found that I didn’t have enough time. I’d go on a gig and by the time I’d set the vibraphone up, plugged it in and got about a 240–volt shock all up my arm - my hands are covered in grease, I’m sweating - then I’ve got to get the tenor out, and we’re on! Then I’m exhausted In the end it got to the stage where I used to set the bloody thing up - play the tenor all night! Then pack it all away again. I said: ‘What am I doing?’

And now’, said Tubby, ‘we’re going to play a number called I’ve Thrown a Custard in her Face, from My Fair Lady. We’re a bit Mozart, and there are some dodgy Norwegians in there, but we’ll do our best.’

Norwegian Fjords were chords

Danny Kaye's hit Orchestral Music saga 'Tubby the Tuba' may have been responsible for Edward Brian's Hayes endearing but affectionate adopted or imposed nickname. ...............................Oh! - said Tubby - I am so happy!

We certainly are Tubbs - Thanks!!

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Simon Spillett Profile of Tubby Hayes

Simon Spillett Website

 

Remember Tubbs

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Matters were made worse for Hayes by his development of a drugs habit, which came to badly affect his health. In the late 1960s he underwent open heart surgery he was able to start performing again in 1971 (though he had more heart surgery that same year), and in 1972 toured Scandinavia. on 8th June 1973 he died during another heart operation, at the age of thirty-eight.
Tubby Hayes was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium as later was fellow Jazz Courier Ronnie Scott.  Tubby's ashes were scattered in Section 1-L .............a suitably fertile zone.

The early death of a musician at the peak of popularity often leads to legendary status as we reflect on the magic of the performances we have witnessed or heard and we mourn the great potential that we have been robbed of by their untimely departure.

Hail to thee oh Tubbs! - Lest we forget.................