James Brian Gordon Hastings (12 May 1938 - 18 March 2024) was a British musician associated with the Canterbury scene who played saxophones, flute and clarinet.
Site TheFretBoard :
Oh Dear, such sad news. The great Jimmy Hastings has passed away.
One of the British Jazz scene's greatest sax, flute and clarinet players. Jimmy was a member of Humphrey Litteleton's eight piece jazz band and Professor of Jazz Saxophone at London College of Music, ex-Professor of Saxophone at Royal Marine School of Music, he played alongside Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Aretha Franklin but in my world he was brother of Pye Hastings and an unofficial fifth memeber of Caravan.
He made sizeable contributions to the greatest recordings of the Canterbury scene: Caravan, Soft machine, Hatfield & The North, National Health to name a few.
What an absolutley beautiful musician he was.
I can't pick just one track to represent what he brought to the world. There may be a long list to follow but the one track that first pricked my ears to Jimmy was this. Caravan: Love Song with flute.
Rest easy Jimmy and so much thanks for your music. He blows the socks off all the others.
Site Reddit :
Jimmy Hastings, saxophonist/flautist known for work with Soft Machine, Caravan, and Hatfield and the North, has passed away at age 85
Site Organissimo :
Saxophonist/Flautist Jimmy Hastings has died aged 85. For anyone unfamiliar with his work, he played an important role on the Progressive scene playing on early albums by Caravan and Hatfield And The North's The Rotters Club where he infused the albums with proper jazz solos thus inspiring a whole Prog rock generation to the joys of jazz. Jimmy was a fine and respected player on the British mainstream scene and had of course been a member of Humphrey Lyttelton's bands. RIP Jimmy.
