After playing double-bass in various orchestras in Essex I decided to have a bash at "Jazz" - without really knowing what it was. So, for an all-too-brief period in the late Seventies I took lessons with Spike Heatley, who was a very good teacher and obviously an extremely good bass player. Pity the same couldn't be said for me: I wasn't so much the model student as the toy student! He told me he'd worked on ocean liners including the QEII, and later that he'd played with Johnny Dankworth & Cleo Lane at a function in Aldermaston when my parents had been present, not long before I was born.
Here are some links to Spike's discs (buy them) and various stories. Sorry they're not in any particular order, and sorry about being a crap student!
CD: "Radioactive" label RRCD036 - Alexis Korner: R'n'B From the Marquee
Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated "R&B From The Marquee"
R&B from the Marquee, at Amazon USA
HARRY FRANCIS: Jazz Development in Britain 1924—1974
The Jazz Couriers
Sheila Tracy talks to Ian McDougall Dankworth happened to be playing Ronnie Scott's at the time with a quintet that included Kenny Wheeler, Dudley Moore, Spike Heatley and Kenny Clare...
Leonard Walter Bush, double-bass player, 1927-2004
Spike Heatley: The Other Side Of The Coin RENELLA 01
All Night Long Track 7. Date Recorded: 1961 Cat no. HRKCD8095
Something To Sing About (Pye Records PKL 5506, 1972)
Berlin Newsletter 1966 Spike's the 2nd guy in the photo
Rod Stewart on the Official Faces Homepage
Renella Records
One For Clifford...And Another One For Tubby
Spike Heatley - Free Music Downloads
Jersey Jazz 2006
Martin Taylor Road Dairy
Shane & The Popes the drummer Danny's father is Spike Heatley, the famous jazz-man, who played double-bass on some of the Faces' early singles, much admired by Shane
Woodwork 1974-5
Nigel Lived - 1972
With the Bebop Preservation Society
Wikipedia: Donovan
Wal*Mart Music Downloads: Never a Dull Moment
The Spinners
Is This What You Want? produced by George Harrison
Reason To Believe Rod Stewart
Magna Carta
The Avengers
Swingin' Till The Girls Come Home
Never a Dull Moment Rod Stewart 1972
Jackie Lomax - 'Is This What You Want?' (Apple 1969)
A Gift from a Flower to a Garden Bassist Spike Heatley and drummer Tony Carr provided a subtle rhythm section on 'Sunshine Superman', subtitled 'For John and Paul'
'J.C' is for John Cameron - "Jazz Rocker"
Murray Head - Nigel Lived 1972
Unheard Bowie recordings broadcast - 23/10/13