A rousing seven numbers from what must have been one of the most musically impressive of all British bands. This was recorded at one of the concerts that the group did as half of the Brubeck tour of 1958. At the time I remember this band carved the Americans and certainly on the evidence here they were on crackling form. More important, the music has not dated, and Hayes and Scott show themselves to have been far more agile then than a lot of the newer American tenor players are now. The programme is well chosen, with Friends and Dolls being the two outstanding tracks. Time is a vibes feature for Tubby, and Speak Low has very effective Scott tenor. The vibes relieved the danger of any monotony, although on the many occasions I heard the group, I never noticed such a weakness.
Terry Shannon plays a lot of good piano, and the only weakness in the album for me is in the drumming, which seems a little busy and over-done. This could be a recording balance fault. This is a fine souvenir of the group, and I would like to see it issued in the States, because I’m sure it would make an impression.
Discography
What Is This Thing Called Love?; Some Of My Best Friends Are Blues; The Serpent (19 min) – Guys And Dolls; Time Was; Speak Low; Cheek To Cheek (21 min)
Tubby Hayes (ten/vbs); Ronnie Scott (ten); Terry Shannon (p); Phil Bates (bs); Bill Eyden (d). London, 16/2/58.
(Music For Pleasure MFP 1072 12s. 6d.)
