Scottish jazz saxophonist, who was featured on Stan Tracey’s Under Milk Wood. Born: Glasgow, 24 January, 1936. Aged 80, he died on 27 October 2016. Bobby Wellins, a tenor-saxophonist who was born in Glasgow, died on 27 October 2016. His career spans over 50 years. He started his life as a student of music in Gorbals and then went on to a performing career that lasted into the 21st Century. This saw him alongside some of the greatest British jazz musicians. The relationship he had with Stan Tracey, a London-born composer and pianist, was the most important of all. Both players’ reputations were built on their 1965 recording of Under Milk Wood, often called the greatest-ever British-jazz album. The fact that Wellins survived in the industry and was not a victim of it is evident in his decade-long addiction and depression. This was due, he later stated, to his insecurity as a musician and the pressure of striving for excellence. In 1990, Wellins told Jazz Journal that the downhill slope “almost broke up my family” referring to his heroin- and cocaine abuse. My wife Isobel helped to free me. I got out in 1975 when I was 40 years of age and was done with it. It was over.” While it was a difficult time for Wellins personally and professionally, this period made him, along with Tracy, an enduring, resilient figure on the British jazz scene. Wellins was a member of the Palais bands in Glasgow and London, and played alongside Tracy and bandleaders Vic Lewis and Tony Crombie. His recovery period saw him create a remarkable record legacy and play live again. In the mid-1960s Wellins reached his highest point as a recording artist. He first recorded his Culloden Moor Suite, in 1964. This was inspired by John Prebble’s 1961 account of the battle. Wellins’ first complete-length composition, composed for a 14-piece orchestra that included Tracy, was recorded by the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra (Tyler Smith) in 2011. Under Milk Wood was recorded the following year. It was inspired by Dylan Thomas’s 1953 BBC radio play. The recording featured Tracy, Wellins and Jeff Clyne. Jackie Dougan was the drummer. Many consider Wellins’ Celtic-influenced, tender solo on “Starless and Bible Black” his greatest achievement. It is also a contender for best British jazz musician’s solo. It cemented Wellins’ status as one of the nation’s greatest saxophonists. After his 1975 return to playing, Wellins started his own quartet and continued recording well into the 2000s with them under different incarnations. His records include 1982’s Spectrum Project, with Tracy, Kenny Wheeler, and other musicians; 1992’s Nomad, along with jazz singer Claire Martin; 1998’s Comme D’habitude again with Tracy; and 2010, Time Gentlemen Please. Gary Barber’s documentary about Wellins’ life, work and achievements in 2012 was also entitled 1979’s Dreams Are Free. Robert Coull Wellins was born in Glasgow, 24 January 1936. He was the son of a musical family. Max, a Jewish immigrant of Minsk, was a clarinettist, saxophonist and later flautist. His mother, Sally, was a singer. They were a duo that played in film bands around Scotland and had plans to move down to London together. However, the Second World War ended their plans. Wellins was evacuated to Montrose by his relatives. His mother was from a fishing family and it was a place that he had fond childhood memories. Apart from the nighttime playing, Wellins’ father worked as a furniture upholsterer, and later, after his death with respiratory issues, as a watchmaker. Although his wish was for his son to be an apprentice in the craft, the lessons he had given Bobby at the age of twelve in music (alto saxophone and keyboard) had ignited a passion in him. Wellins was particularly inspired by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker’s bebop style. He went to England to study keyboard harmony at Chichester College of Further Education and clarinet at RAF School of Music, Uxbridge. However, he suffered an anxiety attack that led to him returning to Glasgow. Wellins was now playing the tenor-saxophone, which is the instrument that made him famous. He then made the move to London after a friend convinced him to get him a regular gig at a club and a ticket down South, which Wellins couldn’t refuse. He was a bandleader for Eric Winstone and Vic Lewis. The latter took Wellins on a cruise ship trip to New York. There, he made friends with Lester ‘Prez Young, Count Basie’s saxophonist. Wellins, a former racing driver, became a saxophonist, and bandleader for Buddy Featherstonhaugh’s quintet. He also recorded his first album with the band. Ronnie Scott, the legendary club owner, became a friend of Wellins and they began playing together in Jazz Inc, which was led by Tony Crombie. Tracy was also a member of the group, and their friendship continued until Tracy’s passing in 2013. Bobby Wellins lived in Bognor Regis during his final years. He played occasionally at the Chichester Jazz Clubs and taught jazz at Chichester College. After a long battle with illness, he died. His wife Isobel, along with his two daughters, are his survivors. From www.scotsman.com
