Overview

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.

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9781781793534

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.. .[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

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 Like the music (and life) of its subject, Clark's biography, which is supplemented by an admirably thorough discography, is single-minded, almost dogged, in its purpose: unsentimentally and dispassionately to document the career, in all its sometimes uncomfortable detail, of one of this country's greatest musicians. It's a considerable (and valuable) achievement. London Jazz News The pianist and composer had carved an indelible place for himself at UK jazz's top table, and this illuminating biography by his son Clark - a neat and attractively presented hardback - presents an unfailingly absorbing narrative recounting remarkable times. The Beat Clark's clear-eyed account of his father's life is a triumph, as is Stephen P. Didymus' splendidly comprehensive discography. Jazzwise Listen to his record as you read, they are the best accompaniment to this fine book. Chris Searle, Morning Star The Godfather of British Jazz is a book that will fascinate jazz fans. The Northern Review of Books As this very personal account confirms, Tracey was an extraordinarily dedicated jazz musician who has earned a place in a wider jazz pantheon than the British scene within which he predominantly worked. As John McLaughlin later remarked about Under Milk Wood, This was not 'British Jazz' - this was world-class music (p 68). Tracey not only spent a lifetime doing what he loved; he did it exceptionally well, creating an enduring body of work that deserves serious consideration. This book is a valuable addition to jazz literature. Professor Ted Nettelbeck, Eric Myers Jazz

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Clark Tracey is musician, composer, arranger and band leader. He is also a record producer, the promoter of a jazz club and jazz festival, a teacher and the author of a drum tutorial. Clark's 35 years on the road with his father Stan Tracey as a drummer allows for a very personal insight into the man.

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