The Piccolo
On the 8th of June 1973 the world lost one of its greatest jazz musicians, Tubby Hayes. Left behind was his legacy - the inspiration behind this project.
At the time of his passing….Tubby’s possessions were stored in a trunk by his then partner, Solweig Elizabeth Gronland, known to all as ‘Liz’. The trunk contained tapes of his recording sessions, his record collection, memoirs, photos and other material, including his piccolo. Not much is known about this instrument as it never featured on a recording session. However anecdotal comments about it’s origins from Liz lead us to believe it was purchased to add to Tubby’s repertoire of instruments. This was important as he was often called upon to record advertisement soundtracks. It was later used regularly for jingles and carried around in his coat pocket in case there was a call for ad-hoc recording work, which at the time was a welcome additional source of income. The trunk remained closed for almost 40 years. Liz sadly passed away in 2015. Before her passing she asked her closest friends, Vivien and Bob Savage, to take the trunk and get Tubby’s music out there and do what they could to ensure the tapes were heard so Tubby’s legacy could live on. To date, four albums of Tubby’s previously unissued music have now been released, with more to follow.
Along with all the unissued music we think that Tubby’s mysterious piccolo would be a great way to, not only pay homage to Tubby, but also help fulfil the wishes of Liz. When 22a boss and multi-instrumentalist Ed ‘Tenderlonious’ Cawthorne found out about Tubby's piccolo, and that there might be an opportunity to play it, the idea was quickly conceived to record a selection of Tubby Hayes tracks: ‘Raga’, ‘Down In The Village’, ‘Trenton Place’ and ‘In The Night’, featuring Tubby’s piccolo and a hand picked selection of some of London’s finest jazz musicians. The sextet, which comprises of Ed Cawthorne, Nick Walters, Hamish Balfour, Aidan Shepherd, Tim Carnegie and Pete Martin, deliver a vibrant, impactful and fresh take on the work of Tubby Hayes on this special four track EP.
The intent of this recording is not to replicate or match the playing of an artist whose technical ability and skills were at the pinnacle of jazz royalty. The hope is to open up a channel for new listeners to appreciate the works of Tubby. We’re currently experiencing a new “golden age” of UK jazz music, it would be a travesty for Tubby Hayes’ skill, legacy and impact to be forgotten or misplaced when referencing UK jazz. We hope that recording on this historical instrument, for the first time, will bring to life the spirit of one of the world’s greatest jazz musicians of all time and fulfil the wishes of the person who made this possible, Solweig Elizabeth Gronlund.
