Tubby Hayes Down in The Village(jazz)(mp3@320)[rogercc][h33t]

The Tubby Hayes Quintet Down in the Village
Recorded : 1962
Label : Fontana
Reissued : 1998 Redial
Format : Mp3@320



Notes from the Original LP by Ronnie Scott

MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH Tubby occurred some twelve years ago in a now defunct jazz club
somewhere in South London – I forget the exact location. I was booked as a guest soloist and, during the course of the evening, a chubby young man who appeared to be about twelve years old (he was, in fact, 15) came on to the stand with a tenor saxophone only a couple of sizes smaller than himself and asked if he could ‘sit-in’. With rather patronising amusement, I agreed. He then proceeded to scare the daylights out of me. The conception, the spirit and fire, the confidence in one so young and inexperienced was absolutely astounding.

In the years that have elapsed since then I have been closely associated with Tubby both musically and socially. We have played together on countless jam sessions and, for a period of about two years, we worked together as co-leaders of a two tenors and rhythm group – The Jazz Couriers. I have watched his youthful promise develop inexorably so that today he is, at the age of 27, one of the finest jazz musicians this country has ever produced and one of the very select band of British jazzmen who can be compared with the best in the world.

Tubby’s musical capacity is almost without parallel – when he decided he’d like to play the vibraphone, it took him just about a year to become not only an accomplished soloist but, to my mind the best performer on this instrument in this country. Virtually the same applies to the flute, one of the most difficult instruments to play at all, let alone with the artistry that Tubby displays. He has topped more polls than I can remember and of late has delved into the fields of arranging and composition, once again with the success one has come to expect of this phenomenal musician.
But primarily he is a tenor saxophonist-possessed of a breathtaking, ever-improving technique and a forthright, no-nonsense conception that reflects the man’s own personality and bubbling self confidence. A measure of his skill as a jazz musician may be taken from his recent appearance at the Half Note club in New York, when he played with and for some of America’s greatest musicians and was received with tremendous enthusiasm by all who heard him. Tubby would be fantastic even had
he been born and bred in America, with all the opportunities that country can offer to the jazz musician. The fact is he is British and has been restricted to learning his art in the main from records and the occasional visit of an American artiste makes his achievements almost unbelievable. Truly a musician of whom we can feel very proud.

He is, at present, leading a quintet which is one of the most impressive groups I have ever heard, nationality notwithstanding. Its personnel includes some of the best jazz talent in the country including, first and foremost, Jimmie Deuchar. Thirty-one years of age and Scottish born, Jimmie is unquestionably the nation’s foremost jazz trumpet player. I have known him ever since he first came to London in 1950 to join the Johnny Dankworth Seven and we have worked together in several groups
including Jack Parnell’s excellent band of some ten years ago, as well as in various combinations that I have led. Apart from being a wonderful arranger, he is one of the truly natural musicians who plays jazz as easily as breathing, possessed of a warm full tone, and a beautiful sense of timing. When Jimmie’s lip is ‘in’, he is one of the most thrilling soloists in jazz.
Allan Ganley is another perennial poll-winner, and I doubt if there is another drummer in the country who could take Allan’s place in the group. A rarity in a land notoriously short of good drummers, Allan has a meticulous technique and excellent timing, as well as the great virtue lacking in so many drummers, of producing musical sounds from the drums. With Tubby’s own definite feel for time and his penchant for ultra-fast tempos, the importance of the drummer in this group cannot be
over-estimated. Allan fills the bill admirably.

There are two or three talented young pianists around at the moment and Gordon Beck is surely one of the most promising. At 26, his professional experience, apart from some jazz club appearances with pick-up groups, has been limited to a spell with Tony Crombie and more recently the now dis-banded Vic Ash-Harry Klein Jazz Five. Gordon is a sensitive pianist possessed of considerable originality who has also contributed to the group’s library of original compositions.

The quintet is complete by Freddy Logan on bass. Freddy was born in Amsterdam and first came to England in 1956 after working extensively in jazz groups in Holland and Germany. He has since spent some time in Australia, leading his own trio. His big sound is commensurate with his size (he is 6 ft 3 ins) and, with Allan Ganley and Gordon Beck, he completes one of the few rhythm sections in the country capable of generating good
time at any tempo.

The quintet spends much of its working time at my club and this album was recorded over a period of two nights when the group was appearing at the usual evening sessions. I’m not going to write at length about the music itself – to me jazz must always be largely a matter of personal taste and I’m a little sick of sleeve notes that would have one believe that every release is a jazz classic. Listen for yourself – there is a great deal worth hearing.
For my own part, the best moments occur in the title track, Down in the Village – one of Tubby’s most intriguing compositions on which he plays two swinging choruses on vibes and which also features Jimmie Deuchar in his best work on the record. Then there is Jimmie’s own First Eleven, a harmonically intricate composition on which Tubby excels – not in the least fazed by the complicated changes. The two waltzes on the record include In the Night, a strangely pastoral-sounding work by Tubby on which he displays his talents on the soprano saxophone, and The Most Beautiful Girl in the World with Tubby at his big-toned roaring best. There is a great deal more – Gordon Beck on In the Night, the rhythm section, especially Allan, on Johnny One-Note and Tubby’s feelingful vibraphone ballad work on But Beautiful. This album is representative of the very high standard of jazz music that this group is producing and proves overwhelmingly that British jazz at its best is second only to the best from the USA. Whilst the gap certainly exists, musicians like Tubby are demonstrating very definitely just how rapidly it is being closed.

Tracklist :
01 Johnny One Note (8:53)
02 But Beautiful (7:26)
03 The Most Beautiful Girl in the World (8:28 )
04 Down in the Village (10:57)
05 In the Night (7:32)
06 First Eleven (5:14)

Recorded at Ronnie Scott's Club May 17 and 18 1962

Personnel:
Jimmy Deuchar - trumpet
Tubby Hayes - soprano, tenor
Gordon Beck - piano
Freddy Logan - bass
Allan Ganley - drums