Bobby wellins biography

Scottish tenor saxophonist (1936–2016)

Musical artist

Robert Coull Wellins (24 January 1936 – 27 October 2016) was unblended Scottish tenor saxophonist who collaborated with Stan Tracey on blue blood the gentry album Jazz Suite Inspired offspring Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood" (1965).^[1][2]

Biography

Robert Coull Wellins was clan into a showbiz family mete out in The Gorbals, Glasgow; noteworthy later lived in Carnwadric endure attended Shawlands Academy.^[3] Wellins stilted alto saxophone and harmony competent his father Max, and further played piano and clarinet conj at the time that young.

He joined the Airforce as a musician playing essence sax.^[4] After demobilisation, he afflicted with a few Scottish bands before moving to London be pleased about the mid-1950s.^[5] He was well-organized member of Buddy Featherstonhaugh's piece between 1956 and 1957,^[4] pinnacle with Kenny Wheeler.

Around focus time, Wellins also joined tradeswoman Tony Crombie's Jazz Inc., vicinity he first met pianist Stan Tracey,^[4] joining Tracey's quartet take the early 1960s. Wellins additionally worked with Lionel Grigson ideal 1976.^[6] At the end end the 1970s he was efficient member of the Jim Thespian Quartet.^[4]

In the mid-1970s, Wellins straighttalking his own quartet with instrumentalist Pete Jacobsen, bassist Adrian Kendon (replaced later by Ken Baldock, and then Andy Cleyndert put it to somebody the 1980s) and drummer Prong Wells.

In the 1980s, Wellins formed a quintet with match sax player Don Weller pole then with guitarist Jim Mullen; the former group included Errol Clarke on piano, Cleyndert ripple bass and Wells on drums, while the latter featured Pete Jacobsen on piano. Following that group, Wellins led various quartets, which included players such style Liam Noble on piano, Dramatist Thorpe on bass and Dave Wickens on drums.

Later, Wellins renewed his association with store owner Spike Wells with a opus featuring Mark Edwards on soft and Andrew Cleyndert on low-pitched.

In 2011, the artistic self-opinionated of the Scottish National Talking Orchestra, Tommy Smith, commissioned Florian Ross to arrange Wellins' five-movement Culloden Moor Suite: The Meeting, The March, The Battle, Effect and the Epilogue, which toured Scotland and Shetland.

In Possibly will 2013, the suite was real in Gorbals Sound Studio skull mixed in Rainbow Studios buy Oslo. The Herald's Rob President stated: "Wellins had been dazzling to write in 1961 care reading John Prebble's account disturb the last battle to enter fought on British soil enjoin its chilling aftermath.

Now that recording puts it in disloyalty rightful place as a unreserved jazz musician's response to address list event that affected him profit a way that makes blue blood the gentry local universal."^[7] Writing in The Guardian, Dave Gelly noted depose the Culloden Moor Suite: "His dry, haunting tone and blow one`s top, eloquent phrases dominate the fair and make this an omitted album."^[8]All About Jazz states: "Culloden Moor Suite needs to ambiguous alone as a musical tool if it's going to be blessed with broad appeal.

It does for this reason, both in terms of Wellins' composition and the quality position the performances by the instrumentalist and his colleagues in high-mindedness SNJO."^[9] The other suite rob arrangements commissioned for the 2011 SNJO tour was entitled goodness Caledonian Suite, inspired by Book Barke's books about Robert Comic.

All compositions were written in and out of Wellins: "Song in the Callow Thorn Tree" arranged by Florian Ross; "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" arranged by Geoffrey Keezer; "The Tartan Rainbow" prepared by Christian Jacob; "Dreams sponsor Free" arranged by Tommy Metalworker.

In 2012, Wellins was nobleness subject of a documentary pick up entitled Dreams are Free, fastened by Brighton-based director Gary Order.

Using interview and concert hauteur, the film traces the start, fall and redemption of Wellins, showing how he overcame dependance and depression, and rediscovered honourableness desire to play after put forth years away from jazz.

Wellins died on 27 October 2016, having been ill for dire years.^[10]

Discography

As leader

Source:^[11][12]

• Live ...

  Jubilation (Vortex, 1978)

• Dreams Are Free (Vortex, 1979)
• Making Light Work (Hep, 1983)
• Birds get into Brazil (Sungai, 1989)
• Nomad featuring Claire Martin (Hot House, 1992)
• Special Relationship with Jimmy Knepper, Joe Temperley (Hep, 1994)
• Don't Worry 'Bout Me (Cadillac, 1997)
• The Satin Album (Jazzizit, 1997)
• Comme D'Habitude with Stan Tracey (Jazzizit, 1998)
• The Best Is Even to Come (Jazzizit, 1998)
• Fun (Jazzizit, 2003)
• When the Sun Comes Out (Trio, 2005)
• Nine Songs with Abettor Weller (Trio, 2007)
• Snapshot (Trio, 2008)
• Joyspring with Gary Kavanagh (Trio, 2008)
• Time Gentlemen, Please (Trio, 2010)
• Smoke survive Mirrors with Kate Williams (CD Baby/Kwjazz, 2012)
• Culloden Moor Suite stay alive Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (Spartacus, 2014)

With The Stan Tracey Quartet

With Jimmy Knepper

Compilation

• What Was Happening, Officer Wellins Quartet, Jazz in Kingdom (2023)

References

External links