Bobby Wellins

Robert Coull Wellins, also known as Bobby Wellins, was a Scottish tenor saxophonist born in Glasgow on January 24, 1936 and died on October 27, 2016, recognized as one of the major figures of British jazz. Born into a musical family, he began playing the piano at an early age before turning to the saxophone. In the 1950s, he played with various dance and jazz groups in Scotland, then moved to London, where he quickly became part of the burgeoning modern British jazz scene. He gained notoriety in the early 1960s when he joined pianist Stan Tracey's quintet, with whom he recorded the legendary album Under Milk Wood (1965), inspired by the work of Dylan Thomas and considered one of the great classics of British jazz. His lyrical, sober and expressive playing made him a much sought-after accompanist, while at the same time pursuing personal projects. In the following decades, despite a long struggle with personal problems, Wellins remained active, playing with artists such as Don Weller, Spike Robinson and Jim Mullen, and recording numerous albums as leader, including Birds of Brazil (1989), Nomad with singer Claire Martin (1993), The Satin Album (1996), Fun (2004) andSnapshot (2008). In 2014, as a follower of the third stream, he collaborated with the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra on the album Culloden Moor Suite. He is acclaimed for his warm, nuanced sound, deep melodic sense and attachment to the language of bebop as well as balladry. The subject of Gary Barber's documentary film Dreams Are Free (2012), Wellins died of a long illness at the age of 80.

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