| Real Gone Jazz | "Tubby Hayes Vol 2: Five Classic Albums + bonus eps and tracks"
Yet another Tubby Hayes compilation that contains the following albums:
"Modern Jazz Scene (1956)"
"The Jazz Couriers (1957)"
"After Lights Out (1956)"
"The Last Word (1959)"
"London Jazz Quartet (1959)"
Plus Tracks from Tubby Hayes Orchestra from 1955 and 1956, Tubby Hayes Quartet from 1955 and a a quintet with Jimmy Deuchar from 1955.
Tubby Hayes does not play on eight of the tracks from the "Modern Jazz Scene (1956)" which feature the Vic Ash Quartet and Dizzy Reece's New Jazz Group. The LPS have been digitally remastered which gives superior sound.
The downside is that all of this music has already been re-issued many times before and serious Tubby collectors will already have it. Track listing Tubby Hayes..., Vic Ash..., Dizzy Reece...
| Fresh Sound | "Joe Harriott - Southern Horizons + Free Form + Abstract"
Joe Harriott arrived in England in 1951, where he was quickly recognised as one of Britain's warmest, most fluent and adventurous alto men. The three fine albums he made as leader between
1959 and 1962 illustrate the range of his imagination. The first, "Southern Horizons," presents
trumpeter Hank Shaw, with Joe delivering some arresting solos in a Parker-inspired, tonally
expressive style. Joe's adventurous mind led him to break away from conventional melodic and harmonic
structures and into many of the freedoms Ornette Coleman was exploring. The other two albums
here, "Free Forms" and "Abstract" introduce new and often daring ideas through his fiery
playing. "It's an error if anybody thinks Ornette influenced me," he insisted, pointing out that his vital music, which he described as "basically an attempt to paint freely," derived from a sharing of ideas with another West Indian musician, Shake Keane. Harriott's independent evolution is crystal clear, and Keane contributes powerful and imaginative trumpet and flugelhorn solos. Pianist Pat Smythe is a huge
asset to the group in an exceptional rhythm section with Coleridge Goode and the brilliant
drummer Phil Seamen, later replaced by a returning Bobby Orr. Track listing: Joe Harriott...
| Fresh Sound | "The Jazz Makers / The Jazz Five - The Hooter"
This digitally remastered stereo
CD presents two of the best English modern jazz combos of the late 50s and
early 60s, both sharing the same instrumentation. Two outstanding British
talents, baritone saxophonist Ronnie Ross and drummer Allan Ganley, launched The
Jazz Makers in 1958, recruiting the delightful tenor of Art Ellefson for an
impressively balanced and imaginative front line, with pianist Stan Jones and
bassist Stan Wasser completing a formidable rhythm section. Ross, always a
strong, coherent and inventive soloist, blended intuitively with Ellefson's
warm, flowing style and the results were filled with tremendous snap, vigour and
musicality. Track listing: Ronnie Ross...
The Jazz Five was formed in 1960 by baritone Harry Klein and tenor Vic Ash, two
consistent, capable and accomplished soloists. Klein a confident, self-assured
performer, was an assertive and swinging player, while Vic Ash possessed an
outgoing, fluent approach, making him an ideal front-line partner. Their ensemble had a bruising
impact, with the rhythm section rounding out the group effectively, thanks in no
small measure to the stimulating style of pianist Brian Dee, one of the
highlights of this reunion. Track listing: Vic Ash...
| Real Gone Jazz | "Tony Crombie: Seven Classic Albums + bonus EP"
This compilation was issued in December, 2013 and contains the following albums:
"Ronnie Scott and Tony Crombie at the Royal Festival Hall (1956)"
"Annie by Candlelight with Annie Ross (1956)"
"Tony Crombie and his Orchestra (EP 1954)"
"Man from Interpol (1959)"
"Sweet Wide and Blue (1959)"
"Drums! Drums! Drums! (1960)"
"Whole Lotta Tony (1961)" and
"Twelve Favourite Film Themes (1961)"
There is no information in the double wide jewel case's inners but
the LPS have been digitally remastered which should give superior sound.
This is a big collection of Crombie's work but there is not a lot here for jazz enthusiasts and the downside is that the jazz bits, with the exception of the EP, have been re-issued before.
| Real Gone Jazz | "Tubby Hayes: Seven Classic Albums"
This compilation was issued in September, 2013 and contains the following albums:
"The Jazz Couriers In Concert (1958)"
"The Jazz Couriers - The Couriers Of Jazz (1959)"
"Tubby's Groove (1959)"
"Tubbs (1961)"
"Tubbs In NY (1961)"
"All Night Long (1961)" and
"Return Visit (1962)"
Plus (as if That wasn't Enough?)
2 bonus tracks - Jack Costanzo with Tubby Hayes "Equation In Rhythm (1962)".
You get a whole load of LPs and those two bonus tracks! for a really good price.
True there is minimal information in the double wide jewel case's inners BUT
the LPS have been digitally remastered which gives superior sound so we should
not grumble.... much.
The downside is that all of this, with the exception of the "All Night Long" and Costanzo tracks has been re-issued before and serious Tubby collectors will already have it. Track listing Tubby Hayes...
| Acrobat | "Jimmy Deuchar - The Complete Tempo Recordings 1955 - 58"
Trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar – known as The London Scotsman – was the ultimate
“musician’s musician”. A central figure in British jazz circles since making
his debut in the original Johnny Dankworth Seven in the early 1950s, his
playing, composing and arranging enlivened the bands of Tony Crombie, Ronnie
Scott and Tubby Hayes over the ensuing decade, but it was his series of
recordings he made for the fabled Tempo label between 1955 and 1958 that
contained his best work. Collected here in their entirety, they form an
impressive body of jazz, ranging from cleverly constructed original themes to
personal adaptations of compositions by Miles Davis, Bud Powell, Horace Silver
and Sonny Stitt, together with an intriguing take on the music of Rodgers and
Hart. Originally released in scattered from on rare EPs, 10” LPs and
multi-artist anthologies, Deuchar’s sessions also boast the cream of British
modern jazz during the late 1950s, including Tony Crombie, Victor Feldman,
Tubby Hayes, Derek Humble, Phil Seamen, Terry Shannon, Harry South, Stan
Tracey and Ken Wray. This two-CD set comes complete with a detailed booklet
essay by noted saxophonist and writer Simon Spillett and is a must for all
fans of the Golden Age of British Jazz. Track details...
| Harkit | "Jazz Britannia '56!: Joe Harriott and the British Jazz All Stars"
A brilliant discovery! At a time when key British jazz exponents were
determined to make their individual mark and set themselves apart from their
American cousins, this eclectic collection of works by Joe Harriott, Derek Smith, Don
Rendell, Kenny Graham’s Afro Cubists and Jimmy Watson is a real revelation.
Only previously ever issued on LP in the US, this digitally remastered album is
a treat with added extra material and a comprehensive essay by
Simon Spillett.
1. BLUES ORIGINAL – Joe Harriot
2. OPUS UNTITLED – Derek Smith
3. DON’T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE – Don Rendell
4. KILROY WAS GONE – Kenny Graham’s Afro-Cubists
5. ONLY A YEAR AGO – Jimmy Watson Orchestra
6. MY HEART BELONGS TO DADDY – Joe Harriot
7. WHEN YOUR LOVER HAS GONE – Derek Smith
8. JUNO – Don Rendell
9. BEGIN THE BEGUINE – Kenny Graham’s Afro-Cubists
10. BODY AND SOUL – Jimmy Watson Orchestra
11. KING’S CROSS CLIMAX – Kenny Graham’s Afro-Cubists...
| Acrobat | "Dick Morrissey On The Spot: The complete recordings 1961 - 1963"
The arrival of tenor saxophonist Dick Morrissey onto the British jazz scene in
the early 1960s was nothing less than a revelation. Although only twenty-one –
and having played his instrument for barely a few months – Morrissey already
had it all; tone, taste, invention and above all swing, as his debut album,
‘It’s Morrissey, Man!’, recorded in 1961, displayed in winning fashion. Two
years later he recorded a follow-up, ‘Have You Heard?’, revealing how his
already individual voice had matured into one of the best in British jazz. For
many years these albums have been collectors’ items – in and out of print or
released only as limited edition imports - but this new Acrobat CD unites this
music for the first time ever, together with an overview essay by saxophonist
and writer Simon Spillett. It is a worthy addition to Acrobat’s expanding
catalogue focusing on the great names of British post-war modern jazz, and
will be a must-have purchase for a significant number British jazz fans.
A full detailed track listing is available from the Dick Morrissey page on this website.
| Acrobat | "Tubby Hayes: New edition Rare radio recordings 1958-1962"
Acrobat’s expanding catalogue of British modern jazz expands with exclusive collection of previously unreleased radio broadcasts By Tubby Hayes. As further evidence of Acrobat’s commitment to expanding the availability of important recordings from the golden era of British post-war modern jazz, they have released a 2-CD set of rare radio recordings by bands featuring the great tenor saxophonist and vibes player Tubby Hayes.The collection comprises extracts from broadcasts in which Tubby appeared between 1958 and 1962, and as well as various incarnations of Tubby’s own Quartet and Quintet, features The Jazz Couriers, Victor Feldman, Jimmy Deuchar Plus Ten, The John Dankworth Orchestra, and the only known extant radio broadcast he did from the USA with The Walter Bishop Trio.None of this material has been commercially available to date as far as we are aware, so it is an absolute must for enthusiasts of this great era of British musical creativity. This release also features a comprehensive booklet essay by noted jazz saxophonist and writer Simon
Spillett. A full detailed listing is available from the Tubby Hayes page on this website.
| Acrobat | "Dizzy Reece: The complete recordings 1954-1962"
 After 50 years without a Dizzy Reece compilation we now have two! Dizzy Reece was that rare beast in the 1950s - a London-based jazz musician who gained an international reputation who thanks to Tony Hall eventually landed a record contract with the prestigious Blue Note label. In 1959, after carving a
controversial reputation on the London scene, he abandoned the UK for New York
City, the very heart of the modern jazz scene. Featuring the contents of no
less than six original LPs, various EP releases and tracks released on
multi-artist compilations, this 5-CD set tells the whole story, including
every recording Reece made under his own name between 1954 and 1962, on both
sides of the Atlantic, together with performances made in collaboration with
the great multi-instrumentalist Victor Feldman and as a member of the New Jazz
Group. This release also features a comprehensive booklet essay by noted jazz saxophonist and writer Simon
Spillett. A full detailed listing is available from the Dizzy Reece page on this website.
| Acrobat | "Soho Blues"
 This 2 CD set subtitled 'The Ronnie Scott Anthology 1956 to 1962' includes recordings made by Ronnie over this period. It includes all the albums made under Ronnie's name. Of the 31 titles included the notes claim that 22 have not appeared on CD before. Included is the Royal Festival Hall concert from 1956 with Tony Crombie's Orchestra and the album from 1957 with the Ronnie Scott Sextet. Unlike many other recent compilations collectors will not already own most of this music in other re-issues.
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As the UK found
itself suddenly gripped by the Trad Boom during the early 1960s, a
few of Britain’s top modern jazzmen fought a short rival campaign
aiming to take their type of music to the top of the charts,
especially after the Top 10 success in 1961 of Dave Brubeck’s ‘Take
Five’. Very few of these jazz “singles” found success – John
Dankworth’s African Waltz the most notable exception – but the
majority slunk down the charts into obscurity. This new Acrobat
collection tells the fascinating story of this brave A&R
initiative and rescues twenty tracks originally released on 45rpm
and EP formats between 1960 and 1962 featuring such celebrated jazz
names as Joe Harriott, Stan Tracey, Shake Keane, Dudley Moore and
Tony Kinsey. Six of these tracks are collectors’ items which have
never been released on CD before. Not only is the range of styles on
offer remarkably broad, covering everything from Latin and soul jazz
through to scat-vocals and film and TV soundtrack themes, the list
of star musicians participating in these records makes for a
veritable who’s who of British jazz including Tubby Hayes, Jimmy
Deuchar, Harold McNair, Gordon Beck, Allan Ganley, Bobby Wellins,
Ronnie Ross, Tommy Whittle and many more. Complete with a
fact-packed booklet note by award-winning saxophonist Simon Spillett
and rare press clippings, this release reveals the remarkable story
of a forgotten chapter in British Jazz. 
Containing three BBC programmes from around September, 1959 before Dankworth began composing and recording his suites and longer works. They are from a series of transcription recordings broadcast on French radio.
“We were hailed as the best modern jazz outfit in Britain since the Jazz
Couriers,” Vic Ash proudly remembers of The Jazz Five, the quintet he co-led
with baritonist Harry Klein during 1960-62. However, for many of the group’s
fans the biggest surprise lay not in how successfully the band had taken on
the mantle of its celebrated predecessor, but in how its formation had
prompted Ash into a seemingly overnight reinvention as a funky, Hard Bop tenor
saxophonist. For close to a decade he’d been widely regarded as the UK’s top
modern jazz clarinettist and was a perennial poll-winner on his chosen
instrument: this new step seemed to come from out of nowhere, and as critics
lined up to compare his work with that of American tenorists like Hank Mobley
and Harold Land, even old friends were taken aback. “I never knew you played
tenor like that!” Tubby Hayes told Ash during this period, expressing the
thoughts of many. This new Acrobat release tells the whole story of this
remarkable transition, containing two PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED broadcast recordings
from 1959 and 1961, adding both a prelude and postscript to The Five of Us,
the Jazz Five’s sole release for Tony Hall’s famed Tempo label. Throughout the
album Ash demonstrates his world-class skills on both his instruments
alongside fellow British jazz luminaries including baritone saxist Herry
Klein, trumpeter Ian Hamer, pianists Harry South and Brian Dee and drummer
Bill Eyden. Complete with rare period photos and press cuttings, the
compilation also features an extensive booklet essay by saxophonist and writer
Simon Spillett, co-author of Ash’s autobiography I Blew It My Way.
Track listing 
A re-issue from earlier in the year that for some reason was not included on this page then. This is a digitally re-mastered four CD set that includes a few early Victor Feldman Esquire tracks that have never been on CD before.
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 York’s
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 “Tubby’s 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.”
This release includes both the Epic and Smash
albums and adds a previously unreleased
recording of Hayes made with pianist Ray
Santisi’s trio in Boston in 1964. It also comes
complete with an overview essay by Hayes’
biographer and fellow saxophonist Simon
Spillett. Track listing 
Exporting British jazz to the United States during the late 1950s and early
1960s often had the air of sending coals to Newcastle. However, when the
American Vox and Top Rank labels commissioned special projects aimed solely for
the US market, the efforts of two of Londons best known jazz pianists were given
a rare boost of recognition. Headed by the blind virtuoso Eddie Thompson, the 10
Vox LP London After Dark centred the action on themes dedicated to the capital
ranging from Billy Strayhorns Chelsea Bridge to such unlikely fare as Underneath
The Arches demonstrating Thompsons uncanny knack for making good jazz out of all
manner of material, while the second, John Dankworth associate Dave Lee's A Big
New Band From Britain, showcased not only the Englishmans inventive piano
playing, but also the writing skill of top US arranger Manny Albam. American
listeners clearly loved Lee's smooth blend of dance music and jazz as, in an
unprecedented coup, the album spent six weeks in the coveted Cash Box Top Ten.
As well as featuring the instrumental skills of the two leaders both these
albums boast rare cameo appearances by the ultimate British jazz legend, Tubby
Hayes, playing tenor saxophone and vibes. The new Acrobat release marks the
first complete appearance of either album on CD and includes fascinating booklet
notes by noted saxophonist and writer Simon Spillett.
Among the subtlest and most consistent drummers of his generation, Allan Ganley
is famed for his work with British jazz legends like John Dankworth and Tubby
Hayes, but throughout his career he led a dazzling array of his own units,
showcasing not only his immaculate instrumental skill but his equally
accomplished composing and arranging talents. The first of these, in 1957,
featured the sensational Jamaican altoist Joe Harriott, replaced the following
year by the underrated Canadian saxophonist Art Ellefson. Shortly afterwards,
Ganley and baritonist Ronnie Ross teamed up to form The Jazzmakers, a band that
would tour and record in the USA in 1959. This new Acrobat release includes the
contents of two incredibly rare 7 EPs featuring Ganleys quartet, Gone Ganley and
The High Priest, both of which have never been released in a digital format,
together with the Jazzmakers eponymous New York-recorded debut album. Packaged
with rare photographs and a fascinating booklet by noted saxophonist Simon
Spillett this release presents some of the finest British modern jazz of its
day. Track listing 
Featuring 22 previously unissued live tracks, this new 3-CD anthology is the
ultimate celebration of the genius of the late, great Tubby Hayes, tracing his
meteoric career from teenage wunderkind to youthful veteran. Heard on all four
of his principal instruments tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, flute and vibes
- as well as leading a series of quartets, quintets and big bands, Hayes is also
featured in ultra-rare collaborations with leading British jazz figures
including Joe Harriott, Tommy Whittle, Stan Tracey, John Dankworth and Tony Lee,
many of whom he worked with only rarely. The collection includes new versions of
Hayes classic compositions like 100% Proof and Off The Wagon, alongside items
which do not appear anywhere else in his studio-recorded discography. Recorded in
clubs throughout the UK and at festivals, rehearsals and informal private jam
sessions, this release also contains a comprehensive booklet essay by noted
Hayes authority and award-winning saxophonist Simon Spillett, together with rare
memorabilia and press cuttings from the period. This is Tubby Hayes as youve
never heard him before! Track listing 
Kenny Baker was widely regarded as the best British jazz trumpeter and
cornettist of the post-war era, making his name with the Ted Heath Band in the
late ‘40s before starting his own group, Kenny Baker’s Dozen, during the ‘50s,
consistently bringing together some of the top performers of the day in his
line-ups. It was with this band that he performed on the first regular jazz
programme to appear on BBC Radio’s Light Programme “Let’s Settle For Music”.
This 2-CD set comprises two of those broadcasts, from February 1957, which
were preserved on transcription discs, and which we believe have never
previously been made commercially available. The line-up features a stellar
array of top British jazz names of the time, notably Phil Seamen on drums,
Bill le Sage on vibes, his long-time colleague George Chisholm on trombone
along with Keith Christie and Ken Wray, bass saxist Harry Klein, Harry Hayes
on alto sax, Derek Smith on piano, Lennie Bush on bass and others. They appear
here in very much a more mainstream swing and big-band oriented setting than
the small group modern jazz metier with which we might normally associate
them. It’s a fine addition to our expanding catalogue of top quality British
post-war jazz, which will be snapped up by collectors both for its quality and
rarity. Track listing 
In April 1957 the formidable British tenor men Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott teamed up to form “The Jazz Couriers.” During their more than two and a half years together, the Couriers developed into an extremely close-knit unit, widely acclaimed throughout Britain and the rest of Europe.
The first American guest artist to grace the tiny stage of the original Ronnie
Scotts club in Londons Soho in the autumn of 1961, tenor saxophonist Zoot Sims
was among the most consistently inventive jazzmen of his generation. The sudden
arrival of this font of jazz creativity prompted Fontana Records to tape three
evenings worth of live performances at the venue, documenting not only Sims
graceful yet muscular playing, but the work of supporting bands led by Ronnie
Scott himself and West Indian multi-instrumentalist Harold McNair, featuring
British jazz legends Jimmy Deuchar, Phil Seamen and Stan Tracey and others. The
two original albums Zoot at Ronnie Scotts and Solo For Zoot have not previously
been released in their entirety on CD, but this new Acrobat issue contains all
their contents, including a rare unedited version of Love For Sale, unavailable
for over forty years. Featuring comprehensive sleeve notes by award-winning
saxophonist Simon Spillett, rare photographs and press clippings, this new album
is the definitive document of a pivotal moment of Anglo-American jazz history. 
By 1954, the famous Ronnie Scott nine-piece was not only approximately half-way
through its two and a half year lifespan, but it was arguably at its peak.
Formed early the previous year, and led by indisputably the most charismatic
figure in British modern jazz, the bands stock-in-trade was controversy daring
to include as much modern jazz as it could on the dance hall circuit. Its
co-operative policy was described by one of its members, the saxophonist Benny
Green, as syncopated Marxism, whilst its on-the-road antics prompted the groups
drummer Tony Crombie to remember the units band bus as a madhouse on wheels.
Nevertheless, packed full of the brightest parochial talent, including trumpeter
Jimmy Deuchar and alto saxophonist Derek Humble, the band was among the most
consistently musical of its generation and could sunder any opposition. The
addition of multi-instrumental wunderkind Victor Feldman during 1954 only added
to the groups varied talents. The band s BBC Overseas Service broadcast of March
17th 1954 followed the pattern of two previous appearances on the airwaves by
being pressed and released by Esquire Records under the prophetic title of The
Ronnie Scott Jazz Club Vol.3 and yet despite its excellent and diverse content
it was soon deleted, quickly becoming a highly prized collectors item. This
Acrobat release includes not only all of the original LP but adds a further
session recorded a month later by Scott and the bands rhythm section, which
features three performances that are previously unissued. Complete with rare
photos, press clippings and an extensive booklet essay by saxophonist Simon
Spillett, this release is an absolute must for fans of British modern jazz.
Track listing 
Tenor sax prodigy Tubby Hayes burst on to the UK jazz scene during the 1950s
and became not only the most important personality to grace British jazz, but
also one of the relatively few British jazz musicians to make a substantial
impact in the USA, where he gained the respect of his peers. In a stellar
career tragically cut short by his premature death in 1973 at the age of 38,
he assembled a body of work which showcased his extraordinary talent on both
tenor sax and vibes as he assembled a variety of bands to suit his mercurial
search for musical progress and perfection. This CD, compiled by noted jazz
writer Simon Spillett, himself a top tenor sax exponent, cherry-picks some of
the most important, admired and outstanding recordings from Tubby’s career,
showcasing his remarkable technique and skill.
Tubby’s New Groove was resurrected from the personal effects of industry veteran
Alfred Lion. These tracks were recorded in 1959 as part of the debut album,
Tubby’s Groove. Hidden in the relative obscurity of the U.K. in the late 1950s
it is a rare look at the seminal performer of an under-appreciated British jazz
scene. Playing in a quartet (Terry Shannon/piano; Jeff Clyne/double bass; Phil
Seamen/drums), Hayes’ tenor saxophone is brilliant. The overall vibe feels like a live performance.
Issued in October, 2013 this is a re-issue of an earlier "Jazz House" CD. It was recorded over three years, (1963 to 1966), by Les Tomkins at Ronnie's Old Place (Ronnie Scott's Gerrard St club in London's Soho) and is a dazzling set of masterpieces by one of Britain's greatest ever jazz
musicians.