Tenor saxophonist Tubby Hayes has been nearly forgotten in the United States, but in the United Kingdom, he is revered as one of the greatest jazz musicians Britain ever produced. Hayes died over 40 years ago, but his legacy has been kept alive through an avalanche of live and unissued Hayes recordings issued in the past decade. In this expanded Retro Review. Thomas Cunniffe examines the wide-ranging music of this sometimes neglected giant.
MoreResonance Records’ latest Wes Montgomery issue will not be new to seasoned fans. The guitarist’s 1965 Paris concert has been available as a bootleg for many years. However, Resonance’s edition offers the concert in its entirety, mastered from the original ORTF master tapes. It is also the first legitimate release of this material. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the recording, which also features Harold Mabern, Arthur Harper, Jimmy Lovelace and Johnny Griffin.
MoreOne of the finest ensembles of the 1970s was the Los Angeles big band co-led by Toshiko Akiyoshi and Lew Tabackin. Their double LP, Road Time documented their 1976 tour of Japan, and netted the group a Grammy nomination. Amy Duncan examines this out-of-print classic in this month’s Retro Review.
MoreTeddy Wilson was one of the most prolific jazz musicians of the 1930s, recording with Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, and many others. No single CD box set could ever cover all of Wilson’s recordings from this period, and Mosaic’s new collection contains some–but not all–of Wilson’s best sides as a leader, including all of his solo tracks, several combo sessions and all of his big band tracks. Thomas Cunniffe reviews the contents of the set in this month’s Retro Review.
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