TUBBY HAYES LONDON JAZZ QUARTET TEMPO/EMBER VINYL LP
September 25, 2008
This LP was originally released on the Tempo Label. This then is a reissue on the Ember Label. There is no date on this reissue but it would have been pressed within a few years of the original probably in the late sixties. I picked this up on Ebay just a few weeks ago but I have forgotten what I paid for it (I buy a lot of LP’s) but I’m sure I handed out a little over 100 euros.
The music is not quite typical of Hayes. It’s not driving heavy jazz or anything like that. It’s the sort of music you might have heard on the soundtrack of many British kitchen sink movies of the sixties. If you were not a fan you might brush it aside as library music. All the tracks are arranged by Tony Crombie and as far as I can remember about half are written by him also. The line up is….Tony Crombie , Tubby Hayes , Alan Branscombe and Jack Fallon.
The music is ‘tight’ and very sixties and distinctly British and as I’ve said it’s not unlike British film music of the period….but it’s quality stuff and if you like classic ‘modern’ jazz you will love this. It’s the sort of album that will grow on you. You might feel it’s rather conservative for sixties jazz and that it’s not particularly exciting but you will find yourself putting it on the turntable more and more…..just to try to make up you mind if you like it or not…and it will grow on you in spite of it not being ‘progressive’……
Check out my other posts on Vinyl HERE.
Rare Vinyl Tubby Hayes LP Ebay Caveat Emptor
March 18, 2008
I got this Tubby Hayes vinyl album from Ebay today. It cost me a little over 100 euros but when I took it out of the sleeve to check it I felt like killing the guy who sold it to me. Like many of the LPs that I get from Ebay it was in pretty bad condition. Apart from a liberal sprinkling of scratches it also had the track-marks of several bad needles on it.
I suppose that 3 out of every 4 LPs that I get on Ebay go straight into the bin , which means that in real terms those albums that I actually keep are costing me about three times what I paid for them…if you get my drift. If , like me your buying 5 or 6 albums a week this can involved throwing a hell of a lot of money into the bin…..
……..so let the buyer beware…..
The album shown above is quite rare so it’s nice to have a copy in any condition. In fact if someone were to offer me twice what I paid for it I would turn them down , but still ….it’s in dreadful condition….The other side of the coin however is that without Ebay the chances are that I would never have come across a copy in the first place. British jazz of the Hayes period is a specialised maket and a small one at that and the print run for these LPs would have been very small.
One small point while I’m here….This LP would have a catalogue price of something in the region of 25 euros but to buy a mint copy on Ebay you would have to bid up to 500 euros or even more so don’t put too much reliance on the Record Collector Price Guide. It is , as the title says a guide only…..
The Couriers of Jazz London LTZ -L 15188
PS: If anyone out there has LPs like this to sell please let me know.
Wynton Kelly GREAT LP Top Rank 35-107 Lee Morgan Vinyl Jazz
November 29, 2007
Today a copy of Wynton Kelly’s album “Great” arrived in the post. I got it on Ebay and it’s yet another wonderful piece of jazz vinyl for my collection. For some reason or other his name is misspelled as “Kelley”. This is a UK pressing on the Top Rank label. It features , among others , Lee Morgan and Wayne Shorter. It’s a good but rather bland album which does not stand out from the crowd in any way. Morgan is his usual self here and what little merit the album has is due to his presence.
I also picked up a copy of Charlie Parker , “….’plays Cole Porter”(Colombia Clef Series 33cx 10090) which reminded my of his Dial recordings. More MOR than hard bop it’s nevertheless an excellent record.
Noel Kelehan , self taught as a composer and arranger, received a classical training in piano theory and harmony. In 1962 he worked with Louis Stewart and bassist Jimmy Mckay. He has a special affection for the great Miles Davis quintet of the fifties. Mike Nolan (trumpet and flugelhorn) has worked in Canada and the continent where he has the opportunity to play with Albert Mangelsdorff. Among his idols are Lee Morgan and Clifford Brown. Keith Donald (soprano sax and Yamaha tenor sax) was involved with ‘Jump’, with Mike Nolan in the early seventies. Frank Hess plays bass. John Wadham plays drums. He has performed with Zoot Sims and Gerry Mulligan.
There is no date on the album but I’m guessing it’s late seventies or early eighties. It’s on the Cargo Label , a very small Irish record label. It’s quite possible that this is the only LP record on that label as I’ve never heard of it before but I’m not sure (anyone with info please let me know). The album is on blue vinyl. The music is marvelous with a quite beautiful version of Castle of Dromore as the first track on side one. If you like Stewart and Wadham then you will just love this LP. If that is you can get your hands on a copy of it. Along with “Louis the First” by Louis Stewart this must be one of the rarest Irish jazz albums ever.
Ozone Noel Kelehan Quartet.
Louis Stewart Louis the First LP Record Album
June 9, 2007
Louis Stewart is probably the greatest jazz guitarist of all time. This album is the first he recorded and is on the Hawk Label and it’s quite collectible. I have had this LP on many different occasions , I have a habit of cleaning out my vinyl collection every so often and starting again from scratch. I have been collecting for almost fifty years and had in my day most of the Irish collectible rare records such as Early One Morning by Mushroom and Swaddling Songs by Mellow Candle but I took a turn against collectors recently as it’s now all to do with the cash value of vinyl and nothing else.
For instance , how many record collectors do you know who would just give away a rare record just for the pleasure of seeing it go to someone who would really love it but perhaps can’t afford to buy it.? People used to do that once upon a time but not any more. The days of record collectors passing along vinyl like that are truly in the past. And of course most don’t even play such records but put them away in a glass case. And when it comes to vinyl that is the ultimate sin.
If you are seeking more information on Louis Stewart try this dedicated site.
