The Godfather of British Jazz
The Life and Music of Stan Tracey
by Clark Tracey
Hardback (Published)
(November 2017)
ISBN: 9781781793534
6.1 x 9.17 inches
Price: $49.95
In stock
This is the first book about the life of jazz pianist and composer Stan Tracey CBE (1926-2013). Drawn largely from his personal diaries and some of his many interviews, his son Clark Tracey pieces together what made the late Stan Tracey a unique character in jazz music. Stan’s wit and wisdom also come shining through in abundance in this long overdue account of one of the UK’s most important jazz musicians. Stan’s achievements and awards are ample and in many cases unique. Recipient of two honors from the Queen, Stan also received several lifetime achievement awards and in his last year became the first recipient of the Ivor Novello Jazz Award.
This is the first book about the life of jazz pianist and composer Stan Tracey CBE (1926-2013). Drawn largely from his personal diaries and some of his many interviews, his son Clark Tracey pieces together what made the late Stan Tracey a unique character in jazz music. Stan’s wit and wisdom also come shining through in abundance in this long overdue account of one of the UK’s most important jazz musicians. In a career that spanned 70 years, Stan Tracey recalls his earliest memories in war torn London and his first experiences of hearing jazz. As a teenager, he joined ENSA and the RAF Gang Show and for the next three years played at more venues than many musicians do in a lifetime. Once demobbed, Stan befriends pianist Eddie Thomson, vibist and drummer Victor Feldman and clarinettist Vic Ash and begins his career in music. He toured with Kenny Baker’s band and the Kirchin Band before joining the Ted Heath Orchestra, then began recording under his own name. He was asked by Ronnie Scott to be the house pianist at Scott’s new club, where Stan’s legendary status grew for the next six years. He accompanied giants of American jazz such as Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Freddie Hubbard and many others. During this period he wrote and recorded the seminal album Under Milk Wood, which to this day remains his best selling work. Stan left Ronnie’s club following a drug addiction and in the 1970s found himself penniless. His wife Jackie employed her skill in the music business as an A&R from previous years and began presenting concerts to keep Stan afloat, as he formed new musical friendships in the free/improvised idiom at that time, such as Mike Osborne and Keith Tippett. Commissions for suites emerged and Stan’s writing skills found an outlet again through the formation of his various groups that were to last for nearly 30 years. Stan’s achievements and awards are ample and in many cases unique. Recipient of an OBE and a CBE, Stan also received several lifetime achievement awards and in his last year became the first recipient of the Ivor Novello Jazz Award. The book includes a complete discography of all commercial recordings featuring Stan Tracey, compiled by Stephen Didymus.
- By (author) Clark Tracey
Awarded Certificate of Merit in the category of Best Historical Research in Recorded Jazz, 2018 Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research "...[This] illuminating biography by his son Clark - a neat and attractively-presented hardback - presents an unfailingly absorbing narrative recounting remarkable times. Making use of Stan's diaries, many interviews retrieved from the archives, and of course his own personal knowledge, Clark - who's himself a distinguished drummer, and who worked with his father for 35 year - tells the story of a trailblazer who became a monumental figure in the course of a career that ranged across nearly seven decades." --Russell Newmark, The Beat, January 2018 "...Clark's clear-eyed account of his father's life is a triumph, as is Stephen P. Didymus' splendidly comprehensive discography." --Peter Vacher, Jazzwise Magazine "The Godfather of British Jazz is a book that will fascinate jazz fans." --Jim Burns, The Penniless Press "Listen to [Tracey's] records as you read. They are the best accompaniment to this fine book." --Chris Searle, Morning Star, January 29, 2018
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