Stan Tracey
Stanley William Tracey (born December 30, 1926 in London , † December 6, 2013 in St Albans ) was a British jazz pianist , arranger and composer . He is considered to be one of the pioneers of a jazz in Great Britain that breaks away from the American model .
Live and act
Tracey was already a professional musician at the age of 16 and initially played as an accordionist for entertainment. From 1945 he did his army service, partly in entertainment groups for members of the army in Egypt and Palestine. In 1948 he returned to London, where he played with Ronnie Scott . In 1951 he recorded with Eddie Thompson's quintet and then worked on the Cunard Line's ocean liners and in dance orchestras. From 1952 he also worked in the jazz sector (with Kenny Baker , Victor Feldman , Tony Crombie and Ivor and Basil Kirchin, among others ). In 1957 he toured America with Ronnie Scott. Between 1957 and 1959 he worked (also as a vibraphonist ) with Ted Heath for almost two years . Between 1960 and 1967 he was a resident pianist at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club and accompanied the traveling soloists such as Ben Webster , Sonny Rollins and Zoot Sims . In 1964 he founded his own quartet, which initially included saxophonists such as Bobby Wellins and Trevor Watts (since 1974 Art Themes ). Tracey made recordings as a soloist, in a duo (with Mike Osborne , John Surman , Tony Coe or Keith Tippett ) and in larger groups up to the big band .
As a pianist, Tracey was influenced by Ellington and Monk . He has received the following awards in British jazz: Best Pianist (1992), Best Composer / Arranger (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999), Best Album Release (1993), Best Small Group (1995). In 1986 he was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his services to British jazz . In 2012 he was honored with the newly created Ivors Jazz Award .
In 2003, Tracey was the subject of the BBC television documentary "Godfather of British Jazz". The drummer Clark Tracey is his son.
Discographic notes
- With Love from Jazz (Trio, 1957)
- Under Milk Wood ( Blue Note , 1965) with Bobby Wellins, Jeff Clyne , Jackie Dougan
- The Salisbury Suite (Steam, 1978) with Jeff Daly, Art Subjects, Don Weller , Harry Beckett , Malcolm Griffiths , Dave Green , Bryan Spring
- Genesis (Steam, 1989) with John Barclay, Steve Sidwell, Guy Barker , Henry Lowther , Malcolm Griffiths, Chris Pyne , Geoff Perkins, Peter King , Jamie Talbot , Tony Coe , Art Subjects , Phil Todd , Roy Babbington , Clark Tracey
- Portraits Plus (Blue Note, 1992) with Guy Barker, Malcolm Griffiths, Art Subjects, Peter King, Don Weller, Dave Green, Clark Tracey
- For Heaven's Sake (Cadillac, 1995) with Gerard Presencer , Andrew Cleyndert , Clark Tracey
- Solo: Trio (Cadillac, 1997) with Andrew Cleyndert, Clark Tracey
- Evan Parker / Stan Tracey Suspensions and Anticipations (Psi, 2003)
- Danny Moss / Stan Tracey Just You, Just Me (Avid, 2003) with?
- The Last Time I Saw You (Trio, 2004) with Peter King, Clark Tracey, Andrew Cleyndert
- A Child's Christmas Jazz Suite (ReSteamed, 2011) with Clark Tracey, Andrew Cleyndert, Simon Allen
Lexical entries
- Philippe Carles , André Clergeat , Jean-Louis Comolli : Le nouveau dictionnaire du jazz . Edition Robert Laffont, Paris 2011, ISBN 978-2-221-11592-3 .
- Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz music. 1700 artists and bands from the beginning until today. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584-X .
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings . 8th edition. Penguin, London 2006, ISBN 0-14-102327-9 .
- Martin Kunzler : Jazz Lexicon. Volume 2: M – Z (= rororo-Sachbuch. Vol. 16513). 2nd Edition. Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2004, ISBN 3-499-16513-9 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Stan Tracey in the catalog of the German National Library
- Web presence with extensive discography
- Interview in the Guardian of November 13, 2006
Individual evidence
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Tracey, Stan |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tracey, Stanley William (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British jazz pianist and composer |
DATE OF BIRTH | December 30, 1926 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
DATE OF DEATH | December 6, 2013 |
Place of death | St Albans |