Summer 2008 release
Ben Webster - Stan Tracey - Soho Nights
Recorded live at Ronnie Scotts, this unreleased recording of the 'tenor giant' performing with Stan's 'in-house' trio of the time is now digitally remastered from the original reel tape. The album perfectly captures the atmosphere of the club in 1968 (including Ronnie Scott as MC).
Along with Simon Spillett's superb liner notes putting the people and the era into context the cd is a must for fans of this classic period.
Ben Webster - tenor saxophone with Stan Tracey - piano.
Dave Green - bass. Tony Crombie - drums
TRACKS : JOHNNY COME LATELY - COME SUNDAY - SUNDAY - LONDONDERRY AIR - FOR ALL WE KNOW - IN A MELLOTONE - THE JEEP IS JUMPIN' - WHAT AM I HERE FOR? - THE THEME
Dave Gelly - The Observer
What a find! Two live sets at Ronnie Scott's club, privately recorded in January 1968 and only now brought to light. Webster, then aged 58 and seriously alcoholic, was in the autumn of his career, but he could rouse himself to heights of eloquence on occasion, and he does it here. The tenor saxophone never sounded more expressive. Tracey, leading the accompanying trio, makes a perfect partner, especially on Ellington's gorgeous 'Come Sunday', which is a masterly performance by any standard. The mutual inspiration and depth of feeling, especially in this and other slow numbers, makes this a precious discovery.
Chris Parker - vortexjazz.co.uk
Playing what fellow tenorman Simon Spillett's excellent sleeve notes refer to as 'a typical autumnal Ben Webster set', the great saxophonist is joined by Stan Tracey (piano), Dave Green (bass) and Tony Crombie (drums) for this January 1968 recording, taken from two sets played at Ronnie Scott's, where Tracey was house pianist. -
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Previously unissued – and future releases from the same source are set to feature Freddie Hubbard, Sonny Rollins, Jimmy Deuchar and others – this album contains a good deal of Ellington or Strayhorn material (which Spillett rightly calls 'the thread linking Webster and Tracey') and the odd standard; whatever he's playing, though, Webster displays the mature, ripe, characterful sound that made him what Ronnie Scott calls him in his announcements: 'everybody's favourite tenor player'. To balance his familiar abrasive, querulous up- and mid-tempo tone, Webster has an affecting fluting high-register sound and his trademark breathy vibrato (especially effective on 'Londonderry Air' and 'Come Sunday' here), and Tracey, too, showcases his own utterly distinctive tripping, pleasingly clangorous, pungent approach in his solo spots. Selflessly driven by Green and Crombie, this is highly individual, informally idiosyncratic music from two great originals. - less
John Fordham, - Guardian ****
Nostalgics for the golden 60s era at Ronnie Scott's, when the pioneering legends of jazz regularly emerged to the club founder's wry announcements, will have a moistening of the eye at this previously unreleased classic. -
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But its virtues are such that it has a magnetism for any audience. Swing saxophonist Ben Webster - one of the architects of the tenor sax's identity (some of his brusque sensuousness is audible in Sonny Rollins today) - was 58, with only five years left, when this live recording was made in January 1968, and often drunk enough to put staying vertical in doubt, let alone playing. But if his violin-like upper-register phrasing, exquisite narrative poise and growling uptempo playing had become fragmented, every sax solo here still envelops you in its whimsical speculations. The recording quality is pretty good (inevitably better for the horn than the piano), and Stan Tracey's chord-rooted Duke Ellington enthusiasms connect particularly fruitfully with Webster, the former Ellington frontman. Tony Crombie's irrepressible drumming and bassist Dave Green's immaculate pulse completes a group Webster audibly relishes. From a squawky and sporadically almost free-sounding Johnny Come Lately, through a startlingly refashioned Come Sunday, two quivering accounts of Danny Boy, and a gallumphing The Jeep Is Jumpin', it's a fascinating document of a fading hero finding bursts of energy in the heat of improvisation. Imperfect, of course - but that's the point. - less
Ray Comiskey, Irish Times,
Webster, on this previously unreleased late-1960s live recording from Ronnie Scott's, may have been in gentle decline, but he had refined his less-is-more tenor to the ultimate in expressiveness. -
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Personal cliches abound, but nobody could wring as much out of a melody as Webster did; two gorgeous versions of Danny Boy and a glorious Come Sunday epitomise the ethereal yet sensual delicacy of his ballad playing. There's a sprightly grace as well to his lithely swinging Johnny Come Lately, For All We Know and What Am I Here For?, and only on the faster Sunday and The Jeep Is Jumping does he sound rushed and start to rasp aggressively. Stan Tracey's marvellously quirky piano, with its echoes of Monk and Ellington (not so far apart from each other) is an ideal contrast, and Dave Green (bass) and Tony Crombie (drums) complete a fine rhythm section. - less
Peter Bevan, Northern Echo,
Another tremendous issue in the Stan Tracey Collectors' Series, this is the first of three volumes of recently discovered tapes. One of the the great pleasures in the 1960's was the opportunity to hear the great American tenor saxophonist Ben Webster and his unique and ditinctive style, often accompanied by Stan Tracey.
Martin Gayford
There are various contenders for the title of heavyweight champion of the tenor saxophone - Lester Young, John Coltrane, Coleman Hawkins, Sonny Rollins. But on one point there is no argument. No one ever conjured a richer, more velvety sound from the instrument than Benjamin Francis Webster. -
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Webster could be a difficult man and periodically he was seriously drunk. On his first arrival in Britain he had to be removed from the boat train at Victoria Station on a porter's trolley. But on this newly rediscovered session, recorded at Ronnie Scott's Club in 1968, he is on marvellously mellifluous form. Stan Tracey is a highly compatible accompanist on piano, with echoes of Webster's old boss, Duke Ellington.
This music, with its complex mixture of emotions - tenderness, elation, anger, sorrow - bears out a comment made by Dave Green, bassist in this band: "Ben didn't just play the tenor saxophone - he played his whole life." - less
Lee Wilkinson, The Stage
Forming part of the Stan Tracey Collection on this label operating out of Hemel Hempstead, this disc includes previously unissued live recordings made at Ronnie Scott's club in January 1968. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, the original tapes have been digitally restored, resulting in a quality of sound that is quite remarkable. -
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British modernist, composer and arranger, Tracey was resident pianist at the club, where he led the house band for several years, playing behind a succession of visiting American luminaries. Ben Webster was one of the greatest of all swing tenor saxophonists, having been a major figure in Duke Ellington's Orchestra in the early Forties. Possibly past his inventive prime by the time of this engagement, Webster nonetheless injects an air of sophistication and technical excellence into the evening's entertainment. His playing is at its most exuberant on Billy Strayhorn's 'Johnny Come Lately', with a tough resonant edge to it. In contrast, he displays a warmer, tender, clear tone on Ellington's 'Come Sunday' in particular to complement Tracey's chorded keyboard artistry.
Throughout the CD, Dave Green on bass and renowned drummer Tony Crombie combine to underpin Websters and Tracey's fluent partnership. All four exhibit their individual talents to good effect on The Jeep Is Jumpin', which is something of a tour de force.
With informative liner notes, this release is one that jazz fans can buy with confidence, and there are plans to issue more archive material to demonstrate the importance of Stan Tracey's musical accomplishments. - less
Tony Augarde
This is the first of three projected CDs made from recently-discovered tapes of tenor-saxist Ben Webster. On this session, he was performing at Ronnie Scott's London club in 1968, backed by Ronnie's rhythm section of Stan Tracey, Dave Green and Tony Crombie. -
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Webster was by this time settled in Copenhagen, where he died less than six years later. He had, of course, found fame in the 1940s as an important member of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, where his style matured considerably. But he matured even further in the 1950s, still growling on the tenor sax (as you can hear in 'Sunday') but developing a style that was distinguished by its warm and breathy tone. This unique sound is notable in both versions of Londonderry Air, where Ben's delivery consists almost as much of breathing as playing notes. He tends to stay quite close to the melody when improvising, but his sound is so beautiful that one hangs on his every note. His interpretation of Ellington's 'Come Sunday' is a rhapsodic highlight of the album.
Five of the eleven music tracks have Ellington connections, including a bouncy version of Billy Strayhorn's Johnny Come Lately and an assured reading of The Jeep is Jumpin', co-written by Ellington with Johnny Hodges. In fact, I suspect that some influence from Hodges may have rubbed off on Ben Webster when they were playing side-by-side in Duke's orchestra, as Webster's sweet tone and soaring notes are in some respects similar to Hodges' style.
The rhythm section provides sterling support for the star. Stan Tracey's piano is as edgy as ever, underpinned by the totally dependable double bass of Dave Green and the excitable drumming of Tony Crombie. The sound quality is remarkably good for recordings transferred from old quarter-inch tape. Ronnie Scott's introductory and closing announcements are expendable, but they only occupy a couple of minutes and they convey Ronnie's sincere appreciation for his great fellow-tenorist. - less
January 2008 release
Stan Tracey & Keith Tippet - Supernova
A recently unearthed recording of a live concert at the ICA in London in the Seventies by this mighty duo.
One of the most powerful sets of improvised piano you'll ever hear
digitally remastered from the original tape
(released in shops March 2008)
available here now
John Fordham. The Guardian ****
"On Stan Tracey's triumphant Barbican concert at the end of January, the 81-year-old pianist/composer ran through most manifestations of his talents. -
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But Tracey's all-improv duet with fellow-pianist Keith Tippett, a partnership untried in 15 years, stole the show, exposing new musical and emotional depths in Tracey that orthodox jazz doesn't often draw from him. Not many examples exist on record, so this previously unreleased set at London's ICA in 1977 is a precious item. There's not much in the way of conventionally jazzy licks, but the music is playful, conversational and, at times, unsentimentally romantic and warm. Tippett frequently favours fast, whirring note-cycles that Tracey bangs hard chords against, or seamlessly droning low-end thunders that Tracey sometimes joins and sometimes illuminates with glittering treble sounds. At times they get close to each other with a haunting sympathy. On Vela Pulsar, there's an uncanny empathy to the way they play percussive sections together and then stop as if a switch was thrown, or join on a tone-centred drone like an orchestral string section. Streams of intertwining sound become a cat-and-mouse game in Parallax, and the title track has a long opening section as pure, pulsating texture before tentative shoots of melody start to grow. Occasionally there are snatches of blues phrasing, and it evolves into a highly rhythmic kind of lateral swing. Supernova is a vivid insight into the infrequent work of one of the great improvising partnerships."
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Chris Parker - vortexjazz.co.uk
"Recorded at the ICA in 1977, this album captures 50-odd minutes of peerless improvising from two masters of the craft. -
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Always absorbing, often exhilarating, moving easily between rumbustious energy and touching lyricism, the two pianists strike sparks off each other, indulge in combined dazzling, driving runs, or muse quietly together – whatever the mood, though, as Clark Tracey's liner note suggests, 'intuition, respect, energy and romanticism are just some of the qualities to be found in abundance on this recording'. A rare and valuable issue."
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The Northern Echo
"Beautifully recorded with the musicians clearly separated in each channel, it's an object lesson in creativity and expression.."
Irish Times
"Free improv isn't everyone's bag, but whatever nexus of inspiration was in the air between Tracey and Tippett at London's ICA in August 1977 produced something extraordinary.."
Tracey and Tippett performed as
'TNT' and released an album under that name on Emanem Records (later reissued on Steam Records and Blue Note International).
This album is now available again as a
download, exclusively. There are also still some mint editions available from our vinyl section.
the outstanding 60's big band recording
Alice In Jazzland out now
CD PRICE : £12.00 (incl. p&p)
tracks
Alice In Jazzland - Afro-Charlie Meets The White Rabbit - Fantasies In Bloom
Summer Hallucinations - Teatime Gavotte - Murdering The Time
Pig And Pepper - Portrait Of A Queen
musicians
trumpets : Kenny Baker, Eddie Blair, Ian Hamer, Les Condon
trombones : Keith Christie, Chris Smith, Wally Smith
alto saxes : Alan Branscombe, Ronnie Baker
tenor saxes : Ronnie Scott, Bobby Wellins
baritone sax : Harry Klein
piano : Stan Tracey
double bass : Jeff Clyne
drums : Ronnie Stephenson
also with : Tubby Hayes and Kenny Wheeler
REVIEWS
Nick Reynolds
Pianist and composer Stan Tracey is a legendary veteran on the British jazz scene, in his own quiet way, a master musician...
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Alice In Jazz Land originally released in 1966 is the follow up to Tracey's Under Milk Wood album, one of the best known British jazz albums. It's criminal that Alice… has been unavailable for so long: it's a great record.
A crack team of legendary British players was put together for this session. But Stan himself sets the tone in the first thirty seconds of the title cut with an aggressive, audacious piano intro that makes you sit up and go 'Wow!'. This is an album that exemplifies the classic British big band sound: tart, bright, punchy. But it also pushes the envelope way out with its' confidence and wild musical invention. It's full of fantastic loud, huge, wide chords that are big enough to stick your whole head in.
This album is a much a product of its time as the Beatles' Revolver, and it's no coincidence that it was also recorded at Abbey Road (and beautifully recorded at that). British music and culture was at a zenith, and you can hear the sunshine and swagger in the likes of "Pig And Pepper" and "Summer Hallucinations". "Afro Charlie Meets The White Rabbit" has a psychedelic edge with outrageous discords and an off the wall arrangement which never meanders or loses focus. The lovely "Fantasies In Bloom", provides some breathing space. It seems dangerous to single out one player but I particularly love the trumpet section and Kenny Baker's trumpet feature on the intense "Murdering The Time".
Right up to the glorious conclusion of "Portrait of A Queen" there's not a precious second wasted in 38 brilliant minutes. They really don't make 'em like this anymore. Thankfully you can hear 'em again, thanks to Clark Tracey and his programme of reissues of his father's music: truly a labour of love in a very bad world. Great stuff!"
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Tim Stenhouse. UK Vibe/ Jazz culture online
While the jazz suite based on 'Under Milk Wood' has righlty been vaunted as Tracey's masterpiece, relatively little has been written about his foray into big band writing and playing...
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At the time of this recording in 1966, Ellington was still going strong and enjoying something of an Indian summer with 'The Far East Suite', while other emerging leaders such as Gerald Wilson were recording prolifically on the west coast for Pacific Jazz. Meanwhile in the UK, Tubby hayes was soon to release his own take on the big band sound with the excellent '100% Proof'. The album 'Alice in Jazz Land', first issued on UK Columbia, reveals both his American compositional influences and a distinctly British execution, at times almost rustic, yet full of passion. It has a very modern mid-sixties recording feel and a fascinating choice of titles to match. Key tracks include 'Fantasies in Bloom' and 'Teatime Gavotte'. However, the album should be viewed as a whole as a triumphant attempt to transpose the small group sound that Tracey was so fond of into the fuller big band ensemble. A much underrated album that deserves its place in the pantheon of 1960s British jazz.
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John Fordham. The Guardian
The octogenarian Stan Tracey has run into such sustained acclaim for his various ventures over the past couple of years that he has almost found himself recast as a wholly contemporary musician...
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- which, in the vigour and invention of his playing, he is. But if it borders on disrespectful to get nostalgic about Tracey's past, it's good to be reminded of an earlier period in which he was also hot jazz news - the 1960s. This crackling 1966 big-band set is more remarkable for its endlessly evolving ensemble subtleties than its improvising, Tracey furnishing pungent new rejoinders and creative disputes with both the soloists and the original themes.
The Ellington influence is always clear on Tracey's big-group ventures (such as the swoony Fantasies in Bloom), and the title track confirms how early Monk-inspired conceptions of rhythm took root in the pianist's chordal punctuation. Summer Hallucinations, with its gliding alto-sax solo, recalls the Cool School, and Murdering the Time is a raucous, squalling flyer. The contrast between Bobby Wellins' eccentric lyricism and the late Ronnie Scott's relaxed swing in the tenor-sax section is a bonus.
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Chris Parker - Vortex.co.uk
The second release from the ReSteamed Records Collectors' Series, this (mainly) big-band session was recorded a year after composer/pianist Stan Tracey's enduringly popular Under Milk Wood Suite, and it features three of the quartet from that album...
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(Tracey, tenor player Bobby Wellins, bassist Jeff Clyne) plus four trumpets, three trombones, two altos, another tenor (usually Ronnie Scott), baritone player Harry Klein and drummer Ronnie Stephenson.
The material is named ('Pig and Pepper', 'Portrait of a Queen' etc.) loosely after scenes from Alice in Wonderland, but is not programmatic in any stricter sense, consisting of Monkishly eccentric, spiky themes leavened with the odd passage of almost Ellingtonian elegance ('Fantasies in Bloom').
The pungent power of Tracey's composition has retained its appeal well over the forty-odd years that have elapsed since the suite was recorded in 1966: the punchy, occasionally shouting ensembles are judiciously balanced against pleasingly bleary solo contributions from Wellins and characteristically percussive, idiosyncratic yet cogent soloing from Tracey himself (his tripping, delightfully discursive playing on 'Fantasies in Bloom' a particular highlight), but what is most impressive is the overall confidence, even swagger, that permeates the writing and playing Î like all his extended works, Alice in Jazz Land, while clearly indebted to his great inspirations, Ellington and Monk, is immediately identifiable as quintessential Stan Tracey.
A revealing and highly enjoyable reminder that there was a lot more to British musical life in the 1960s than the Beatles and the Stones.
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