ARTISTS
Monday 21st Nov.
6:45 - 7:00pm Introduction from producer Max Baxter
7:00 - 7:50pm Film: 'A Man In A Hurry'
7:50 - 8:30pm Q&A with producer Mark Baxter & Saxophonist Simon Sp
8:30 - 10:30pm Simon Spillet Quartet
January 30th 2015 marked what would have been the 80th birthday of Edward Brian Hayes, known to the world of jazz as Tubby. A professional jazz musician at just fifteen, by his untimely death at thirty-eight, he had left behind a body of work, that has both stood the test of time and has proven to be an inspiration to many like minded musicians today.
For ten years from the mid 1950s to the middle of 1960s, jazz musician, composer and arranger, Tubby Hayes became a household name in Britain. He had his own shows on national television and he played on some of the most iconic recordings of that era, including the soundtracks to the films ‘Alfie’ and ‘The Italian Job’. Tubby became the first solo UK jazz performer to be invited to play in the United States, where Miles Davis attended his first gig in New York and his services were much in demand here in the UK by the likes of Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie. However, the combination of years of over work, drug abuse and the rise of Pop music in the UK – much to the detriment of the world of British jazz – ultimately found Tubby struggling to complete sometimes poorly attended concerts. He had burnt very brightly but then quickly faded from the general publics consciousness soon after his untimely death in June 1973. Perhaps, now a forgotten man by many. But 2015, over forty years since his sad demise, Tubby and his numerous recordings from a highly productive twenty-year period have steadily attracted a growing band of dedicated fans around the globe.
The film ‘Tubby Hayes – A Man In A Hurry’ is narrated by actor and Hayes fan Martin Freeman (produced by Mark Baxter/directed by Lee Cogswell). Featuring exclusive interviews with people that knew Tubby, worked with him, musicians influenced by him, people from the music industry and fans, Tubby Hayes – A Man in a Hurry charts the life and times of Tubby Hayes.
Door entry £5
★★★★★ ‘Engaging, affectionate documentary’ RTE TEN (online)
★★★★★ ‘Great film, very respectful, nice clips, a lovely tribute to the man’ – Paul Weller
★★★★ ‘A treasure trove of visual memorabilia and remembrances’ – marlbank.net (online)
★★★★ ‘A jazz doc which belongs in the genre’s top tier’ – Sounds of Surprise (online)
★★★★ ‘A compelling portrait’ – Record Collector (print and online)
★★★★ ‘Engrossing documentary’ – GQ Magazine (online)
★★★★ ‘Impressively researched & highly engaging’ – The Wire Magazine (print)
★★★★ ‘Excellent & enjoyable documentary’ – Shindig Magazine (print)
★★★ ‘Thorough, remorseless, & professional by good filmmakers’- Steve Voce – Jazz Journal
★★★ ‘Fascinating portrait’ – MOJO Magazine (print)
★★★ ‘A little giant of a movie..’ – Jazzwise magazine (print)
Tubby Hayes: 1935 - 1973
Born in St Pancras Hospital in 1935, Edward Brian 'Tubby' Hayes grew up in leafy Raynes Park, South West London attending the local grammar school Rutlish Manor
Leaving school to become professional jazz musician at just fifteen, by his untimely death at thirty-eight, Tubby Hayes had left behind a body of work which has both stood the test of time and has proven to be an inspiration to many like-minded musicians today.
He was a regular face in and around the Soho of the late 50s and the 1960s, performing in The Jazz Couriers with Ronnie Scott from 1957 to early 1959, with his own quartet being the headline act on the opening night of the original Ronnie Scott Jazz Club at 39 Gerrard Street in 1959
An household name in the early 1960s, complete with his own prime time TV series, Tubby performed with with the likes of Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Roland Kirk and Henry Mancini to name just a few and played on the iconic film soundtracks for the films 'The Italian Job' and 'Alfie',
Sadly, due to the relentless rise and rise of pop music, with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones taking over and changing the musical landscape of the UK, Tubby found his work not so much in demand and that coupled with a drug habit and persistent ill health, meant that he faded from view, almost a forgotten man by his untimely death at 38 in 1973.
However, in the last few years, interest in Tubby has been rekindled and once again he is being talked about and listened to.
“The whole period in London, and Soho in particular, fascinates me,” says Weller. “The new and modern developments in jazz, art, architecture and social mores. The sound of post-war Britain and its youth finding its own feet.” - Paul Weller, songwriter
More information on the film - 'A Man In A Hurry' can be found at - amaninahurry.london