Well of course he’s not just famous for those fast tempos (or should that be tempii??) but the fact is that tenorist SIMON SPILLETT has had to do a lot of work to shake off his soubriquet as ‘the new Tubby Hayes’, up-tempos and all. However Simon is far more than a Hayes disciple; a truly individual voice in his own right whose personal heroes encompass vintage names including Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Eddie Miller or Chu Berry as easily as they acknowledge Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, John Coltrane or any of the latterday tenor icons. Furthermore his recent artistic adventures have carried him into whole new spheres of endeavour including not only a re-formation of Tubby Hayes’ classic big band (playing many of Hayes’ best – and frequently unrecorded – charts) but a new and long overdue solo quartet album of his own in 2023. Tonight he comes to Sands by the Sea in the company of a long-respected colleague (and fellow recordist) TED BEAMENT (piano) with ROGER CURPHEY (bass) and ALAN CLARKE (drums) for one of the most exciting sessions we’ll be seeing and hearing this year. As usual: for tickets (and a table!) call: 01702 468123 after 11.30 am or it’s easy to book on-line: www.sandsbythesea.co.uk. Dining (delicious!!) from 7.15/ music (which is FREE!!) from 8.00pm. And there’s still free parking on the seafront from 6pm too. So – just like they say – there IS a Heaven on Earth!! See you there!