Loose Tubes were a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

active during the mid-to-late 1980s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the band was considered to be the focal point of a 1980s renaissance in British jazz. It was the main launchpad for the careers of many future leading British jazz players including

Django Bates Django Bates (born Leon Bates, 2 October 1960) is a British jazz musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, band leader and educator. He plays the piano, keyboards and the tenor horn. Bates has been described as "one of the most talented musici ...

Iain Ballamy Iain Ballamy (born 20 February 1964) is a British composer and saxophonist. He is considered one of the greatest modern jazz saxophonists. Career Ballamy was born in Guildford, Surrey, and educated at George Abbot School, Guildford, from 1975 ...

, Eddie Parker, Julian and

Steve Argüelles Stephen Argüelles Clarke (born 16 November 1963) is an English jazz drummer, producer and is the proprietor of the Plush record label. He has also worked in film and theatre. He is the elder brother of saxophonist Julian Argüelles. Steph ...

Mark Lockheart Mark Lockheart (born 31 March 1961) is a British jazz tenor saxophonist who was a member of the Loose Tubes big band during the 1980s. Career After the demise of Loose Tubes, Lockheart formed jazz/folk quartet Perfect Houseplants with Huw Warr ...

, Steve Berry, Tim Whitehead,

Ashley Slater Ashley Slater (born 1961) is a British trombone player and best known for his narration on the television series Boo! as well as his work with Norman Cook (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) in the band Freak Power. Career In 1983 after leaving the army, Sla ...

. In 2015, the band reformed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's formation, with concerts at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival and a sold out week at Ronnie Scott's. "The band’s individual brand of contemporary orchestration incorporates a welcome humour (often lacking in such weighty aggregations), drawing on a diversity of sources – minimalism, spacey ECM-inspired balladry, funky blues, Latin, swing, even Carla Bley-like passages – in all, a combination of cool precision and collective pandemonium, performed with a persuasive joie de vivre. The ’85 album Loose Tubes and the ’86 Loose Tubes Too (distributed by the London-based Import Music Service division of Polygram) combine into an excellent two-part catalogue of a wealth of inspiration."

History

Origins

The band originated from a jazz workshop put together by the British jazz composer and educator

Graham Collier James Graham Collier (21 February 1937 – 9 September 2011) was an English jazz bassist, bandleader and composer. Life and career Born in Tynemouth, Northumberland, England, on leaving school Collier joined the British Army as a musician, ...

in 1983. During the first few weeks of the workshop, keyboard player

and bass player Steve Berry began to introduce original music to the ensemble. Under the supervision of workshop administrator-turned-manager Colin Lazzerini, the ensemble chose the name Loose Tubes and played its first London gig in 1984. The band was notable for its size (averaging 21 players) and was run as a co-operative without a single clear leader. While Bates, Berry and trumpeter

Chris Batchelor Chris Batchelor is a British jazz trumpeter and composer. He gained his first professional experience with Dudu Pukwana's Zila aged 17, at the suggestion of Harry Beckett. He subsequently became a founder member, composer and soloist with Loose ...

were responsible for a great deal of the music, there were also composing contributions from flute player Eddie Parker, trumpeters Dave DeFries and John Eacott, as well as trombonist John Harborne. During live concerts, trombonist

(later to become frontman of the pop group

Freak Power Freak Power was a band founded by bassist Norman Cook (later known as Fatboy Slim), Ashley Slater (the trombonist with the anarchic British jazz big band Loose Tubes), and vocalist Jesse Graham, also known as "the Bass Cadet". Their music was ...

) acted as the band's compère and became renowned for his sarcastic wit.

Style, impact and rise

Loose Tubes' music was drawn from elements of the whole history of jazz as well as many other musical styles such as

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

and hi-life. During its existence, the band was garlanded with critical praise. ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' referred to them as "the most important band to appear on the British jazz scene" and hailed them as "the best instrumentalists of their generation." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called them "the most impressive young orchestra to have emerged in London", while ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'' claimed "it's hard to imagine anyone else anywhere producing anything as exciting as this in 1985." Loose Tubes were voted the Best UK Band in 1989 by the readers of ''The Wire'' magazine. The band were iconoclastic, with a strong sense of fun, and made a sense of humour an important component of their music. This occasionally led to criticism.

Success

In 1987, Loose Tubes became the first jazz orchestra to play at

the Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hal ...

, the

BBC's #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

annual classical music festival held at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

. They also collaborated with the Docklands Sinfonietta. Other high points included a UK tour for the Contemporary Music Network and a residency at

Ronnie Scotts Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...

, at the end of which they marched out into the streets of Soho at 3 a.m. still playing, with the audience following. Loose Tubes released three albums between 1985 and 1989 – ''

Loose Tubes Loose Tubes were a British jazz big band/orchestra active during the mid-to-late 1980s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the band was considered to be the focal point of a 1980s renaissance in British jazz. It was the main launchpad for the ...

'', ''Delightful Precipice'' and ''

Open Letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

''. The second was ranked No 100 in the 2022

Jazzwise ''Jazzwise'', launched in 1997, is the UK jazz monthly magazine. ''Jazzwise'' has a broad sub-genre coverage, from jazz, improv, hard bop, and jazz-rock to bebop and classic jazz, and also covers jazz crossover, including jazz-funk, jazz hip-h ...

poll ''100 Jazz Albums that Shook the World'', where Andy Robson commented that the album "revealed not only a respect for tradition but also wove threads of worlds with other musics". ''Open Letter'' was produced by

Teo Macero Attilio Joseph "Teo" Macero (October 30, 1925 – February 19, 2008) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer. He was a producer at Columbia Records for twenty years. Macero produced Miles Davis' ''Bitches Brew'', and Dave ...

who commented "These guys are interested in real composition, real melodies, not just being super hip. I haven't seen a young band in the US that wants to do things like that." A live album, ''Loose Tubes: JazzbucheBerlin 87'' was also released. In addition, the band set up their own Loose Tubes record label. The label released albums by the Human Chain duo (Bates and Steve Argüelles), The Iains (a quartet led by Iain Ballamy), a quintet led by Tim Whitehead, a trio led by Steve Berry and a duo with

Stan Sulzmann Stanley Ernest Sulzmann (born 30 November 1948) is an English jazz saxophonist. Biography He was born in London, England. Sulzmann began playing the saxophone at age of 13 and played in 1964 Bill Ashton's London Youth Jazz Orchestra, later th ...

and John Taylor playing the music of

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...

Disbandment

Loose Tubes disbanded in 1990, largely due to the difficulty in financially sustaining and organising such a large ensemble of musicians (a situation not helped by the contemporary economic crisis in the UK). The collective leadership of the band had also become unmanageable and it was time for many of the musicians to move onto more focussed individual careers. Saxophonist Iain Ballamy later reflected "It kind of reached the stage where the band had to change a lot — and nobody could change it — or it had to end so something new could come along. And that’s what happened." In 2010, twenty years after the band had disbanded, Django Bates announced that he would be releasing a Loose Tubes live album called ''Dancing on Frith Street'' on his own label Lost Marble Recordings. The recordings were made at

during the band's last week of live activity in 1990. ''Dancing on Frith Street'' was released in September 2010.

Reunion

In 2014, to celebrate their 30th anniversary Loose Tubes reformed for a series of concerts. A unanimous declaration the band laid down for this 30th Anniversary reunion was that, to be relevant in 2014, there had to be new music; they "definitely didn't want to be their own tribute band". To this end, BBC Radio 3 in association with Jazz on Three commissioned new works from Chris Batchelor, Django Bates. Steve Berry and Eddie Parker. These were premiered at Cheltenham International Jazz festival on Saturday 3 May 2014, alongside Loose Tubes’ classic repertoire from the 1980s, including Yellow Hill, Shelley, The Last Word, Sticklebacks and Sunny. The band followed this with a sell-out headlining week at Ronnie Scotts Club the band's spiritual home. They also played Brecon international Jazz festival on 8 August 2014 and Gateshead International Jazz Festival on 12 April 2015. On 10 June 2015, Loose Tubes won the Jazz FM Award for Best Live Experience for last year's reunion concert at Cheltenham Jazz Festival, beating two other worthy nominees, The Blue Note 75th Birthday at EFG London Jazz Festival and Jamie Cullum at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival. The winner of this category was chosen by public vote.

2014 line up

Flutes: Eddie Parker, Clarinets: Dai Pritchard Alto Soprano saxophones: Steve Buckley & Iain Ballamy Tenor Saxophone: Mark Lockheart & Julian Nicholas Baritone: Julian Argüelles, Trumpets: Lance Kelly, Noel Langley, Chris Batchelor & John Eacott Trombones: Paul Taylor, John Harborne, Ashley Slater & Richard Pywell, Bass Trombone: Richard Henry, Tuba: Dave Powell, Keyboards:Django Bates, Guitar: John Parricelli, Bass: Steve Watts, Drums: Martin France, Percussion: Louise Petersen Matjeka

Legacy

The legacy of Loose Tubes continues strongly both through its former members, who continue to be leading lights of the UK music scene, and also its inspirational effect on younger musicians. F-IRE Collective founder Barak Schmool, who worked as a roadie for Loose Tubes, cites Loose Tubes as a formative influence. In 1991,

formed his large ensemble

Delightful Precipice Delightful Precipice is a 19-piece United Kingdom, British jazz big band/orchestra led by Django Bates. Delightful Precipice contains many individual solo artists, music educators and bandleaders as ensemble members, including Julian Arguelles, ...

which includes many musicians from Loose Tubes and is in certain respects a continuation of their work (albeit one with a single leader).

Band members

, soprano and tenor saxes *

Julian Argüelles Julian Argüelles (born 28 January 1966) is an English jazz saxophonist. Coming to prominence in the 1980s and '90s with the ensemble Loose Tubes, Argüelles has worked extensively as a solo performer and with American and European musicians. ...

, soprano and baritone saxes *

, percussion on the first and second albums, then drums and percussion *

, soprano and alto saxes *

, trumpet *

, keyboards * Steve Berry, bass * Steve Buckley, soprano and alto saxes *Steve Day, trombone and euphonium * Dave DeFries, trumpet * John Eacott, trumpet * Paul Edmonds, trumpet *Ted Emmett, trumpet *Nic France (played drums on the first and second albums) *

Martin France Martin France (born 1964) is one of the top jazz drummers in the UK. He has recorded on over 100 albums and is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is sponsored by Paiste cymbals Career France began performing at the age of ...

drums *John Harborne, trombone Sarah Homer, bass clarinet *Lance Kelly, trumpet *

Noel Langley Noel Langley (25 December 1911 – 4 November 1980) was a South African-born (later naturalised American) novelist, playwright, screenwriter and director. He wrote the screenplay which formed the basis for the 1939 film '' The Wizard of Oz'' an ...

, trumpet *Thebe Lipere, percussion *

, tenor and soprano saxes *Julian Nicholas, tenor and soprano saxes *

John Parricelli John Parricelli (born 5 April 1959 in Evesham, Wychavon, Worcestershire, England) is a jazz guitarist who has worked mainly in the United Kingdom. Parricelli began his career as a guitarist in 1982. He was one of the founding members of the Bri ...

, guitar * Eddie Parker, flutes, keyboards *Simon Gill, tuba/brass * Dave Powell, tuba *Dai Pritchard, clarinets *Richard Pywell, trombones *

, trombone *

Ken Stubbs Ken Stubbs (born 29 March 1961) is an English jazz musician, alto saxophonist and composer. Early life Ken Stubbs was born in Old Swan, Liverpool, United Kingdom and later attended Blackpool Grammar School. In 1978-80 he studied saxophone, com ...

, baritone, alto saxes *Paul Taylor, trombone *Steve Watts, bass Sarah Waterhouse, tuba *Tim Whitehead, tenor sax

Discography

*''

'' (1985) *''Delightful Precipice'' (1986) *''

'' (1988) *''Loose Tubes: Jazzbühne Berlin 87'' *''Dancing on Frith Street'' (Lost Marble LM005, 2010) – live album recorded at

Ronnie Scott's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

Sept 1990] *''Säd Afrika'' (Lost Marble LM006, release date 14 May 2012) – live album recorded at

Sept 1990] *'' Arriving (Loose Tubes album), Arriving'' (Lost Marble LM008, release date 2015) – live album recorded at

Sept 1990 and at the BBC in 2014]

Other media appearances

Film and television

* ''Loose Tubes at Bath International Festival'', May 1986, and in Green Park Station. BBC TWO 3 January 1987 * ''Celebration: Loose Tubes'' documentary. The 21-piece jazz orchestra had its first national tour. The musicians are shown conducting a jazz 'workshop' in Sheffield, as well as performing. Directed by Christopher Swann. Produced by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

Channel Four Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service i ...

, January 1987.

Radio

*"Loose Tubes @ Pendley Manor Festival 1985". 55m total: Chip, Delightful Precipice, Would I Were, Rowingboat Delineation Egg, Full Moon, Stanley Shuffle. BBC Radio 3 "Magnum Opus" broadcast from March, 1986. *"Magnum Opus". Loose Tubes perform at the Logan Hall, London. Sad Africa – 6'35" BATES, Sunny – 5'34" EACOTT, Delightful Precipice – 7'50" BATES, Blue – 7'17" BERRY We Are, Are You? 5'01" HARBORNE, Eden Express – 8'52" BATES, Mo mhuirnin ban – 4'12" TRAD arr. BATCHELOR, Sosbun Brakk 5'43" PARKER Hermeto's Giant Breakfast – 12'24" DEFRIES, Psycopath-a-go-go – 4'48" BERRY, Accepting suites from strangers – 8'25" BATES, Arriving – 4'40" BATCHELOR, Mister Zee – 7'44" BERRY. BBC Radio 3, 1 May 1987 *"The Proms 1987: Loose Tubes" (1) BERRY, Steve "Mister Zee" (2) Eddie PARKER "Sosbun Brakk" (3) CREWE/GAUDIO "Can't take my eyes off you" (4) BATES, Django: "Sweet Williams" (5) BERRY, Steve: "Blue" (6) BATES, Django: "Accepting suites from strangers" (7) Chris BATCHELOR "Sticklebacks" (8) Dave DEFRIES "Open letter to Dudu Pukwana" (9) Chris BATCHELOR "Arriving" (10) BATES, Django: "Yellow hill". BBC Radio 3, 30 August 1987

References

External links

MusicWeb Encyclopedia of Popular Music page on Loose Tubes
interview with Iain Ballamy by

Anil Prasad Anil Prasad is a music journalist and music industry commentator. Career Prasad is the founder and editor of '' Innerviews,'' the Internet's first online music magazine, initially launched in 1994. Prasad’s writing has appeared in ''Guitar P ...

7 July 1993 on Innerviews website. *''Arts (Promenade Concerts): Emphasis on real talents / Review of 'Loose Tubes' At the Albert Hall and on Radio 3'', ''

'', 1 September 1987 *''Arts (Music): Kind of brassy – The 21-strong band Loose Tubes is among the brightest hopes of British jazz'', ''The Times'', 11 January 1988
NME live review of Loose Tubes
{{Authority control British jazz ensembles Musical groups established in 1984 Musical groups disestablished in 1990 E.G. Records artists