THE SIMON SPILLETT BIG BAND PLAYS TUBBY HAYES
“…the most swinging British big band since, well, time began.” Bebop Spoken Here
Bursting onto the UK jazz scene in 2020, the Simon Spillett Big Band is that rarest of rare beasts – a genuine all-star jazz orchestra, in this instance uniting some of the most accomplished soloists and bandleaders of today, who’ve come together to celebrate to a colossal musical genius of yesteryear, the late, great saxophonist Tubby Hayes, arguably the nation’s best-loved jazz legend.
Featuring a starry line-up of UK jazz greats under the direction of award-winning tenorist Simon Spillett, the band’s mission statement is simple; to bring back the heady excitement of the Tubby Hayes Big Band of the 1960s, an outfit which raised the roof whenever and wherever it performed. This band follows in the same spirit, creating an intoxicating atmosphere in which its music communicates on every level, the entire package tied together with the leader’s signature insightful wit.
Utilising a repertoire of Hayes’ own arrangements,many of which were never issued on record, as well as pieces by his contemporaries like trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar, saxist Peter King and pianists Stan Tracey and Harry South, the Simon Spillett Big Band has already proved hugely popular with those who’ve come to hear it in concert at sold-out club venues including Ronnie Scott’s and at major festivals such as the EFG London Jazz Festival.
The band’s debut album “Dear Tubby H.” was released in 2023 and received unanimous praise in the jazz press, Jazzwise magazine awarding it a coveted 5 star review.
The Simon Spillett Big Band recorded its second album (due for release soon) at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in summer 2025.
Simon Spillett (tenor sax) leads a line-up featuring, among others, Mark Armstrong, Steve Fishwick and Bruce Adams (trumpets),
Mark Nightingale and Ian Bateman (trombones),
Sammy Mayne, Tom Smith, Simon Allen and Karen Sharp (saxophones), and a rhythm section of Rob Barron (piano), Jeremy Brown (bass) and
Pete Cater (drums)
