Stan Tracey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stan Tracey
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Stanley William Tracey |
| Born | 30 December 1926 Denmark Hill, South London, England |
| Died | 6 December 2013 (aged 86) |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Labels | Decca, Columbia (UK), Steam/ReSteamed Records |
Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a famous British jazz pianist and composer. He was greatly influenced by jazz legends like Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk. Tracey is best known for his 1965 album, Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood". This album was inspired by the BBC radio play Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas.
Contents
Early Musical Journey
Stan Tracey's school days were interrupted by the Second World War. He started his music career at 16. His first instrument was the accordion, and he played in a touring group. At 19, while in the RAF, he joined Ralph Reader's Gang Shows. He even met the comedian Tony Hancock there.
In the early 1950s, Stan played on big ships like the Queen Mary. He also toured the UK in 1951 with the famous musician Cab Calloway. By the mid-1950s, he also played the vibraphone, but later stopped. During this time, he worked with many top British jazz musicians. These included drummer Tony Crombie and saxophonist Kenny Graham.
In 1957, he toured the United States with Ronnie Scott's group. From 1958 to 1959, he became the pianist for Ted Heath's Orchestra. This included a US tour with singer Carmen McRae. Even though Stan didn't love Heath's music, it gave him a steady income. He was often featured as a soloist and wrote music for the orchestra. In 1959, he recorded his first album as a band leader, Little Klunk. He had first recorded music in 1952 with trumpeter Kenny Baker.
Playing at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club
From 1960 to about 1967, Stan Tracey was the main pianist at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. This gave him the chance to play with many famous American musicians who visited the club. Some of these performances were recorded and released as albums.
While working at Scott's club, Stan gained many fans. The famous saxophonist Sonny Rollins once said, "Does anyone here know how good he is?". You can hear Stan Tracey playing piano on the soundtrack of the 1966 film Alfie, starring Michael Caine.
Creating Under Milk Wood
Stan Tracey's 1965 album, Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood", is one of the most famous jazz recordings from the United Kingdom. Stan was inspired to write this music after hearing the original 1953 BBC radio play on an LP.
The song "Starless and Bible Black" from the album is a highlight of Stan's career. It shows off the beautiful playing of saxophonist Bobby Wellins. People love these songs so much that Stan re-recorded them several times, which is unusual for jazz musicians.
After Under Milk Wood, Stan released Alice in Jazzland the next year. This album featured a big band with many musicians he had worked with before. Later, he arranged music for an Acker Bilk album and made his first album dedicated to Duke Ellington's music.
New Sounds and His Own Record Label
In the early 1970s, Stan Tracey faced some tough times. He almost became a postman because of pressure from the unemployment office. But his wife, Jackie, helped him focus on his music career.
He started working with younger musicians who played free or avant-garde music. This style is more experimental. He worked with musicians like Mike Osborne and John Surman. Stan also played with Evan Parker at the Appleby Jazz Festival for many years. Stan felt he brought more of the "free" music ideas into his regular jazz style.
In the mid-1970s, Stan started his own record label called Steam. Through this label, he re-released Under Milk Wood, which had gone out of print. He also used Steam to release new music he had been asked to compose, such as The Salisbury Suite (1978) and The Poets Suite (1984).
He led his own octet (an eight-piece band) from 1976 to 1985. In 1979, he formed a sextet (a six-piece band) called Hexad. They toured widely in the Middle East and India. In this band, he often played with saxophonist Art Themen and his own son, Clark Tracey, who is a drummer.
Stan Tracey was so important in the UK jazz scene that he shared the stage with famous arranger Gil Evans at a concert in 1978. Stan also continued to record with American musicians, including Sal Nistico and Charlie Rouse.
His Steam record label closed in the early 1990s. However, in 1992, Blue Note Records became interested in UK musicians. This led to Stan's Portraits Plus album and the first CD release of Under Milk Wood.
In 1995, his new quartet recorded the For Heaven's Sake album. In 2003, a BBC Television documentary called Godfather of British Jazz was made about him. This was a rare honor for a jazz musician from Britain. Many of Stan's older albums are now being re-released by ReSteamed Records.
Stan Tracey was already an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was then made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2008.
Stan Tracey passed away from cancer on 6 December 2013. He is remembered as a true legend of British jazz.
See also
In Spanish: Stan Tracey para niños
