Tuby Hayes

Of the many wonderful blaxploitation soundtracks to emerge during the early '70s, Shaft certainly deserves mention as not only one of the most lasting but also one of the most successful. Isaac Hayes was undoubtedly one of the era's most accomplished soul artists, having helped elevate Stax to its esteemed status; therefore, his being chosen to score such a high-profile major-studio film shouldn't seem like a surprise. And with "Theme from Shaft," he delivered an anthem just as ambitious and revered as the film itself, a song that has only grown more treasured over the years, after having been an enormously popular hit at the time of its release. Besides this song, though, there aren't too many more radio-targeted moments here. "Soulsville" operates effectively as the sort of downtempo ballad Hayes was most known for, just as the almost 20-minute "Do Your Thing" showcased just how impressive the Bar-Kays had become, stretching the song to unseen limits with their inventive, funky jamming.

Tubby Hayes - Mexican Green (1967) {Fontana–Mercury 983 1983 rel 2005}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 304 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 120 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 27 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 2005 Fontana / Mercury / Universal | 983 1983
Jazz / Bop / Hard Bop / Saxophone

Mexican Green heralded the final creative milestone of Tubby Hayes' brilliant but all-too-brief career, signaling the maturation of his compositional skills as well as his entrance into the free jazz stratosphere. A quartet session recorded in collaboration with bassist Ron Matthewson, pianist Mike Pyne, and drummer Tony Levin, the album's seven titles are all Hayes' originals, and stretch out in a series of directions spanning from ballads to blues. Hayes' tenor sax crackles with startling energy and power, achieving maximum velocity on the scalding opener "Dear Johnny B," written in honor of late drummer Johnny Butts. Most remarkable of all is the title cut, which forces Hayes outside his modernist comfort zone to embrace the improvisational spirit.

The new Stax Classics series celebrates the iconic label's greatest stars, offering new liner notes, label discographies and 12 choice cuts from the artists' Stax catalog. This collection highlights the music of GRAMMY® and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, producer and actor Isaac Hayes. Hayes, who began his career as a songwriter and producer at Stax, co-writing such iconic hits as Sam & Dave's 'Soul Man' and 'Hold On! I'm Comin',' became a star in his own right with 1969's Hot Buttered Soul. The title, which featured Hayes' deep baritone vocals and signature sonic explorations, opened the door for a slew of groundbreaking titles, including Hayes' iconic, award-winning 1971 score for film Shaft, and his critically-acclaimed double album, Black Moses. This album spans Hayes' solo career, and includes such tracks as the Jimmy Webb cover 'By the Time I Get to Phoenix', 'Hyperbolicsyllabicsequedalymistic' and, of course, the 'Theme From Shaft.'

There aren’t many living and active drummers that can be labeled “legendary”, but Louis Hayes is definitely one of them, having played with Horace Silver, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley and Oscar Peterson just to name a few. This latest album from the 86 year old vet is comfort food for the jazz soul, with a team of Abraham Burton/ts, Steve Nelson/vib, David Hazeltine/p and Dezron Douglas/b mixing together jazz standards with a couple originals.
Of the former, Hayes’ own title tune is an upbeat charmer featuring Burton’s beefy tenor, while “Carmine’s Bridge” is an easy bopper with composer Hazeltine swinging with style. Hayes uses his mallets with the cymbals to lead into Nelson’s gentle vibes on “Is That SO” while his high hat pops on the bopping “Mellow D” and percolating “Ugetsu”…