Stan is still the man-just grand

Stan Tracey Quartet at Seven, 10 February 2011 

I was first introduced to jazz through a kind of "aural osmosis" - my sister had an album of the pianoless Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker quartet in the early 1950's. 

 
Later on when I was about 16, someone played me the 1954 Bags' Grooves sessions where Miles asked Monk to "lay out" during Miles' solos.
 
Immediately, jazz became the music I actively sought out - the similarity to Monk in playing style ultimately led me to Stan Tracey. From there it was a short step to Bobby Wellins - Under Milk Wood and the whole raft of magnificent British jazz musicians from the 1960's.

In the age of flower-power, psychedelia, Beatles, Stones and Rock Steady, it was jazz that had me hooked. I even made my own T-shirt with Stan the Man stencilled on it. I've seen Stan Tracey a number of times since then, but I mention this only to say how personal a gig this was for me.
 
I sat at the front, about 3 feet from the pianist, watching his hands float effortlessly over the keys - belying his 84 years.
 
The gig was a sell-out - probably only a dozen tunes -extended, the musicians coaxing the maximum out of their instruments and the tunes. Cymbals shimmering, notes flying from the saxophone, bass pounding ….
 
A modest introduction of the song title, a few grunts to lead the band in and the band were up and swinging … and they certainly did swing! Bobby Wellins seemed to be inspired by the close relationship with Stan Tracey – he was smiling and played a blinder. They touched hands occasionally.

I didn’t take any notes, so the only tunes I remember the titles of were “Angel Eyes” and the encore “Blue Monk”.  

Andrew Cleyndert on bass and Clark Tracey on drums are consummate musicians and the whole group just swung like crazy – they have a CD out and if it’s anything like this gig it would be well worth buying.

Without disrespecting any band that has played at Seven before, from the heart I can say that this gig shone as the flagship event put on by Seven Jazz. It sounded like the audience thought so too.

It was very personal for me …. so much so that I found it hard to speak on occasion. I was transported back to the days of Fifties and Sixties and the wonder I felt when I first heard this music.

Being sat so close, I wanted to shake Stan’s hand and thank him for the positive effect he’s had on my lifetime musical appreciation as well as all he’s done for British jazz. I would have loved to have got him to sign a CD …. but I did none of those things.

I can thank him in this review though – I’d also say thanks to Steve Crocker and the rest of Seven Jazz for arranging this monumental gig.

Barry Travena