Rumpus

London is popularly supposed to have been swinging during the 1960s, but that jaunty, Carnaby Street cool is a million miles from the visceral hard bop of saxophonist Tubby Hayes' legendary big band. Reclaimed from Hayes' own tape archive, this is a rare and fascinating glimpse of that powerhouse ensemble in full flight, recorded in a London pub on May 8th, 1969, with a line-up that includes guitarist Louis Stewart (then a key member of Hayes' small groups), trumpeter Kenny Wheeler (see Album of the Week) and saxophonist Pete King. Hayes' output is scattered over many labels and varies considerably in quality, so this atmospheric recording, with compendious notes by his biographer Simon Spillett, is a must for collectors and a hard-swinging reminder of a signal talent.