Stanley William Tracey (30 December 1926 – 6 December 2013) was a British

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

pianist and composer, whose most important influences were

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

and

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", "B ...

. Tracey's best known recording is the 1965 album ''

Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood" ''Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood"'' is an album by the English pianist Stan Tracey and his quartet, that was released by the Columbia subsidiary of EMI in 1965. The music was written in response to the 1953 BBC radio pla ...

'', which is based on the BBC radio drama ''

Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...

'', by

Dylan Thomas Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer whose works include the poems "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "And death shall have no dominion", as well as the "play for voices" ''Under ...

Early career

The Second World War meant that Tracey had a disrupted formal education, and he became a professional musician at the age of sixteen as a member of an

ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

touring group playing the accordion, his first instrument. He joined Ralph Reader's

Gang Show A Gang Show is a theatrical performance by members of Scouts and Guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others t ...

s at the age of nineteen, while in the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

and formed a brief acquaintance with the comedian

Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series ''Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...

. Later, in the early 1950s, he worked in groups on the transatlantic

liners "Liners" is a horticultural term referring to very young plants, usually grown for sale to retailers or wholesalers, who then grow them to a larger size before selling them to consumers. Liners are usually grown from seed, but may also be grown ...

'' Queen Mary'' and ''

Caronia Caronia ( Sicilian: ''Carunìa'', Greek: ( Ptol.) or ( Diod. et al.), Latin: ''Calacte'' or ''Cale Acte'') is a town and ''comune'' on the north coast of Sicily, in the province of Messina, about half way between Tyndaris (modern Tindari) and ...

'' and toured the UK in 1951 with

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

. By the mid-1950s, he had also taken up the

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

, but later ceased playing it. At this time he worked widely with leading British modernists, including drummer

Tony Crombie Anthony John Kronenberg (27 August 1925 – 18 October 1999), known professionally as Tony Crombie, was an English jazz drummer, pianist, bandleader, and composer. He was regarded as one of the finest English jazz drummers and bandleaders, an oc ...

, clarinettist

Vic Ash Victor "Vic" Ash (9 March 1930, in East London – 24 October 2014) was an English jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. He was of Jewish ancestry. Biography Ash began playing professionally in 1951 when, with Tubby Hayes, he joined the band o ...

, the saxophonist-arranger Kenny Graham and trumpeter

Dizzy Reece Alphonso Son "Dizzy" Reece (born 5 January 1931) is a Jamaican-born hard bop jazz trumpeter. Reece is among a group of jazz musicians born in Jamaica which includes Bertie King, Joe Harriott, Roland Alphonso, Wilton Gaynair, Sonny Bradshaw, ...

. In February 1957, he toured the United States with

Ronnie Scott Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...

's group, and became the pianist with Ted Heath's Orchestra in September for two years (1958–59), including a US tour with singer

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

. Although Tracey disliked Heath's music, he gained a regular income and was well featured as a soloist on both piano and vibes, and contributed compositions and arrangements that stayed in the Heath book for many years. The following year he recorded his first album as leader, ''Showcase'', for English

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

(also Heath's label) and ''Little Klunk'' in 1959; he had first recorded in 1952 with the trumpeter Kenny Baker. At Decca Records, Tracey met his future wife, Jackie Buckland (3 April 1929 – 13 August 2009Richard William
"Obituary: Jackie Tracey"
''The Guardian'', 10 September 2009); the couple had two children

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

and Sarah.

At Ronnie's and the ''Under Milk Wood'' LP

From March 1960 until about 1967 (some sources give 1968), Tracey was the house pianist at

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club is a jazz club that has operated in Soho, London, since 1959. History The club opened on 30 October 1959 in a basement at 39 Gerrard Street in London's Soho district. It was set up and managed by musicians Ronnie Sco ...

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was develop ...

, London, and he had the opportunity to accompany many of the leading musicians from the US who visited the club. Recordings of some of these performances appeared on LP, while others appeared on the Jazz House and Harkit labels, recorded by the journalist Les Tomkins, but with non-professional recording equipment. Which working at Scott's club, Tracey gained some high-profile admirers;

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

asserted at one concert: "Does anyone here know how good he is?". It is Tracey on piano that film viewers hear behind Rollins on the soundtrack of the

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

version of ''

Alfie Alfie may refer to: Theatre and film * ''Alfie'' (play), a 1963 play by Bill Naughton * ''Alfie'' (1966 film), a film based on the play starring Michael Caine * ''Alfie'' (2004 film), a remake of the 1966 film * ''Alfie'' (2013 film), an Indi ...

'' (1966). However, the experience of working in Scott's club affected Tracey's health; the long hours led to him taking various illicit stimulants, and the low wages also meant that he had to take the workman's bus back home to

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

at 3am. At the same time, he became active too in Michael Horovitz's New Departures project, mixing poetry performances with jazz, where the musicians interacted spontaneously with the words. The New Departures group recorded an album in 1964 with saxophonist

Bobby Wellins Robert Coull Wellins (24 January 1936 – 27 October 2016) was a Scottish tenor saxophonist who collaborated with Stan Tracey on the album ''Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood"'' (1965). Biography Robert Coull Wellins was ...

, a partnership that continued for several decades. Both men contributed original compositions to the album. Tracey's 1965 album (its full title is ''Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood"'') is one of the most celebrated jazz recordings made in the United Kingdom. Tracey was inspired to compose the suite by hearing the original 1953

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

broadcast on an LP his wife Jackie had acquired. The track "Starless and Bible Black", a quote from the opening monologue, is probably the best demonstration of Wellins' lyricism and the highlight of Tracey's whole career. Such is the affection with which these pieces are held that Tracey has re-recorded them on several occasions, something that is unusual for British jazz musicians to do. ''Under Milk Wood'' was followed by ''Alice in Jazzland'', an album for big band, the next year featuring many of his former Ted Heath colleagues. Later in the decade, Tracey made the arrangements for an

Acker Bilk Bernard Stanley "Acker" Bilk, (28 January 1929 – 2 November 2014) was a British clarinetist and vocalist known for his breathy, vibrato-rich, lower-register style, and distinctive appearance – of goatee, bowler hat and striped waistc ...

record, ''Blue Acker'', and his first album dedicated to

compositions (both recorded in 1968), in this case to commemorate Ellington's 70th birthday the following year.

Experimentation and consolidation

The early 1970s were a bleak time for Tracey. Around 1970, he almost chose to retrain as a postman under pressure from the Unemployment Benefits' office – "I would have quite a good pension by now" he quips – but his wife, formerly involved in public relations, took a more direct role in the development of Tracey's career. He began to work with musicians of a later generation, who worked in a

free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

style, including

Mike Osborne Michael Evans Osborne (28 September 1941 – 19 September 2007) was an English jazz alto saxophonist, pianist, and clarinetist who was a member of the band Brotherhood of Breath in the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Mike Osborne was born in Her ...

Keith Tippett Keith Graham Tippetts (25 August 1947 – 14 June 2020), known professionally as Keith Tippett, was a British jazz pianist and composer. According to AllMusic, Tippett's career "..spanned jazz-rock, progressive rock, improvised and contemporary ...

and

John Surman John Douglas Surman (born 30 August 1944) is an English jazz saxophone, bass clarinet, and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music. He has composed and performed music for dance performanc ...

. Tracey continued to work in this idiom with

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

at the UK's

Appleby Jazz Festival The Appleby Jazz Festival was a jazz festival held annually in Appleby-in-Westmorland and organized by Neil Ferber: the first edition was in 1989 with a concert by the Stan Tracey Quartet and the last one was in 2007. Festival history The venue f ...

for several years, but this was always more of a sideline for Tracey, who said that he "took more out of free music into the mainstream than I did from mainstream into free". Neil Ferber founder and organiser of the

built the festival around Stan Tracey and the musicians who worked with him, booking Stan to appear at every festival for the 18 years that it existed. In the mid-1970s he formed his own record label,

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

, and through it reissued ''Under Milk Wood'' (the major label that held the rights to it had allowed it to fall

out of print __NOTOC__ An out-of-print (OOP) or out-of-commerce item or work is something that is no longer being published. The term applies to all types of printed matter, visual media, sound recordings, and video recordings. An out-of-print book is a book ...

). Over the next decade he also used the outlet to issue recordings of a number of commissioned suites. These included ''The Salisbury Suite'' (1978), ''The Crompton Suite'' (1981) and ''The Poets Suite'' (1984). He led his own octet from 1976 to 1985 and formed a sextet in 1979 (later called Hexad), touring widely in the Middle East and India. In this context he had a longstanding performance partnership from 1978 with saxophonist (and physician)

Art Themen Arthur Edward George Themen (born 26 November 1939) is a British jazz saxophonist and formerly orthopaedic surgeon. Critic John Fordham has described him as "an appealing presence on the British jazz circuit for over 40 years.... Originally a D ...

, and his own son, the drummer

Clark Tracey Clark Tracey (born 5 February 1961) is a British jazz drummer, band leader, and composer. Career Tracey was born in London, England. He first played piano and vibraphone before switching to drums at age 13, studying under Bryan Spring. Tracey ...

. He was able to share the billing with arranger

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role ...

in a 1978 concert at the

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...

, such was Tracey's pre-eminence in the UK. In private, he played Ellington recordings for Evans that the latter had not previously heard. Tracey continued to record with American musicians on occasion as well, with dates taking place with

Sal Nistico Sal, SAL, or S.A.L. may refer to: Personal name * Sal (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname Places * Sal, Cape Verde, an island and municipality * Sal, Iran, a village in East Azerbaijan Province * Ca ...

in 1985 and

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

associate,

Charlie Rouse Charlie Rouse (April 6, 1924 – November 30, 1988) was an American hard bop tenor saxophonist and flautist. His career is marked by his collaboration with Thelonious Monk, which lasted for more than ten years. Biography Rouse was born in Wash ...

in 1987. The Steam label ceased trading in the early 1990s, reportedly because of difficulties caused by the retail trade's need for its inventory to carry a

barcode A barcode or bar code is a method of representing data in a visual, machine-readable form. Initially, barcodes represented data by varying the widths, spacings and sizes of parallel lines. These barcodes, now commonly referred to as linear or o ...

. However, in 1992 Tracey benefited from Blue Note's brief interest in UK musicians, leading to the '' Portraits Plus'' album and the commercial issue of the

's recording of the concert commemorating the 50th anniversary of Tracey's first professional gig, as well as ''Under Milk Wood''′s debut on CD. In 1995 his new quartet featuring

Gerard Presencer Gerard Presencer (born 12 September 1972) is an English jazz trumpeter. Biography Presencer showed his first interest in what was to become his chosen instrument, the trumpet, at nine. He attributes his early determination to become a trumpete ...

recorded the ''For Heaven's Sake'' album and also performed gigs together. In 2003 Tracey was the subject of a BBC Television documentary ''Godfather of British Jazz'', a rare accolade nowadays for any jazz musician, let alone one from Britain. Tracey's catalogue from the LP era is being reissued on ReSteamed Records. Already an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE), he was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

2008 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 29 December 2007, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 2008. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and a ...

. Tracey died of cancer on 6 December 2013; he was survived by his son,

; his daughter died in 2012.

Discography

As leader

''Year given for the original releases is the year of recording wherever possible.'' * ''Showcase'' (Vogue, 1958) * ''Little Klunk'' (Vogue, 1959) * ''The 1959 Sessions'' (ReSteamed, 2022) * ''The New Departures Quartet'' (Transalantic,1964; Hot House, 1999) – with

* ''

'' (Columbia (EMI), 1965; Resteamed, 2016) – with Bobby Wellins * ''Laughin' & Scratchin' '' (Jazz House, 1966) * ''Alice in Jazz Land'' (Columbia (EMI),1966; Resteamed, 2007) * ''Die Jazz Werkstatt '66'' (NDR, 1966) – one track only, Tracey session with

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he was also active ...

and Bobby Wellins otherwise unissued * ''In Person'' (Columbia (EMI), 1966) * ''UK Live 1967 Vol. 1'' (Jazzhus Disk, 1967; issued 2012) – at the Manchester Sports Guild, with Ben Webster * ''UK Live 1967 Vol. 2'' (Jazzhus Disk, 1967; issued 2012) – at the Manchester Sports Guild, with Ben Webster and Ronnie Scott * ''With Love from Jazz'' (Columbia (EMI), 1967) – with Bobby Wellins * ''The Latin American Caper'' (Columbia (EMI), 1968) * ''We Love You Madly'' (Columbia (EMI), 1968) * ''Free an' One'' (Columbia (EMI), 1969; retitled ''Wisdom In The Wings'', Resteamed, 2021) – with Peter King * ''The Seven Ages of Man'' (Columbia (EMI), 1969) * ''Perspectives'' (Columbia (EMI), 1970) * ''Alone at Wigmore Hall'' (Cadillac, 1974) * ''Captain Adventure'' (Steam, 1975; Tentotem) * ''Under Milk Wood'' (RCA, 1976; Steam) – with

Donald Houston Donald Daniel Houston (6 November 1923 – 13 October 1991) was a Welsh actor whose first two films—'' The Blue Lagoon'' (1949) with Jean Simmons, and ''A Run for Your Money'' (1949) with Alec Guinness—were highly successful. Later in ...

* ''The Bracknell Connection'' (Steam, 1976) * ''Hello Old Adversary!'' (Steam, 1979) * ''South East Assignment'' (Steam, 1980) * ''The Crompton Suite'' (Steam, 1981) * ''Soul Street'' (1982) * ''The Poets' Suite'' (Steam, 1984) * ''Now'' (Steam, 1985) * ''Live at Ronnie Scott's Hexad'' (Steam, 1985; Linn) * ''Stan Tracey Plays Duke Ellington'' (Mole, 1986; TAA, 2001) * ''Genesis and More'' (Steam, 1987) * ''We Still Love You Madly'' (Mole, 1988; TAA, 2001) – with

Roy Babbington Roy Babbington (born 8 July 1940 in Kempston, Bedfordshire, England) is a rock and jazz bassist. He became well known for being a member of the Canterbury scene progressive rock band Soft Machine. Biography Babbington started his musical career ...

* ''Portraits Plus'' (Blue Note, 1992) * ''Live at the QEH'' (Blue Note, 1993) * ''For Heaven's Sake'' (

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

, 1995) * ''Solo: Trio'' (Cadillac, 1997) * ''Comme D'Habitude'' (Jazzizit, 1998) * ''The Durham Connection'' (33 Jazz, 1998) * ''Stan Tracey Quartet with Phillip Madoc'' (2001) * ''Live at the Savage Club'' (SAVAjazz, 2001) – with Andrew Cleyndert * ''Zach's Dream'' (Trio, 2002) * ''Seventy Something'' (Trio, 2003) * ''The Last Time I Saw You'' (Trio, 2004) – with Peter King * ''Just You, Just Me'' (Avid, 2003) – with Danny Moss * ''Suspensions & Anticipations'' (psi, 2003) – with

* ''Live at the Appleby Jazz Festival'' (Trio, 2004) * ''For All We Know'' (Trio, 2005) * ''Crevulations'' (psi, 2005) – with Evan Parker * ''Khumbula (Remember)'' (Ogun, 2005) – with Louis Moholo-Moholo * ''Let Them Crevulate'' (Trio, 2005) – with

Guy Barker Guy Jeffrey Barker, (born 26 December 1957) is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. Early life Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year ...

* ''Play Monk'' (Resteamed, 2006) – with Bobby Wellins * ''The London Session'' (Dox, 2006) * ''Senior Moment'' (Resteamed, 2008) * ''The Later Works'' (Resteamed, 2009) * ''Sound Check'' (Resteamed, 2010) * ''A Child's Christmas'' (Resteamed, 2011) * ''The Flying Pig'' (Resteamed, 2012)

As sideman

With

* ''Isn't It'' (Spotlite, 1991) With

* ''Blue Acker'' (Columbia (EMI), 1968) With

Don Byas Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas (October 21, 1912 – August 24, 1972) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, associated with swing and bebop. He played with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Blakey, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others, and also led ...

* ''Autumn Leaves'' (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House, 1965) With

Al Cohn Al Cohn (November 24, 1925 – February 15, 1988) was an American jazz saxophonist, arranger and composer. He came to prominence in the band of clarinetist Woody Herman and was known for his longtime musical partnership with fellow saxophonist Zo ...

and

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

* ''Al And Zoot In London'' (World Record Club, 1965, reissued on Harkit) With

Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...

* ''Live In London'' (Harkit, 1964) * ''Live In London Volume 2'' (Harkit, 2004) – recorded in 1964 With

Benny Golson Benny Golson (born January 25, 1929) is an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He came to prominence with the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie, more as a writer than a performer, before launch ...

* ''Three Little Words'' (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House, 1965) With

Johnny Griffin John Arnold Griffin III (April 24, 1928 – July 25, 2008) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of ...

* ''Live In London'' (Harkit, 1963) With

Paul Gonsalves Paul Gonsalves ( – ) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist best known for his association with Duke Ellington. At the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, Gonsalves played a 27-chorus solo in the middle of Ellington's "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue ...

and

Tubby Hayes Edward Brian "Tubby" Hayes (30 January 1935 – 8 June 1973) was an English jazz multi-instrumentalist, best known for his tenor saxophone playing in groups with fellow sax player Ronnie Scott and with trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. Early life H ...

* ''Just Friends'' (Columbia (EMI), 1964 or 1965) With

Joe Harriott Joseph Arthurlin Harriott (15 July 1928 – 2 January 1973) was a Jamaican jazz musician and composer, whose principal instrument was the alto saxophone. Initially a bebopper, he became a pioneer of free-form jazz. Born in Kingston, Harriott ...

* ''Personal Portrait'' (Columbia (EMI), 1967) – three tracks only With

J. J. Johnson J.J. Johnson (January 22, 1924 – February 4, 2001), born James Louis Johnson and also known as Jay Jay Johnson, was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. Johnson was one of the earliest trombonists to embrace bebop. Biograph ...

* ''Live in London'' (Harkit, 1964) With

Laurie Johnson Laurence Reginald Ward Johnson, (born 7 February 1927) is an English composer and bandleader who has written scores for dozens of film and television series and has been one of the most highly regarded arrangers of instrumental pop and swing ...

* ''Synthesis'' (Columbia (E), 1969; Redial, 1998) With

Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The year ...

* ''Live In London'' (Harkit, 1964) With

Prince Lasha William B. Lawsha, better known as Prince Lasha (), (September 10, 1929 – December 12, 2008) was an United States of America, American jazz alto saxophonist, flautist, baritone saxophonist, flautist, clarinetist and English horn player. Life a ...

* ''

Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intu ...

'' (CBS, 1966) With

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

* ''Live in London'' (Harkit, 1964) With

Wes Montgomery John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist. Montgomery was known for an unusual technique of plucking the strings with the side of his thumb and his extensive use of octaves, which gave him a dist ...

* ''Body And Soul'' (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House, 1965) With

* ''Live In London'' (Steam, 1985) With

* ''Tandem'' (Ogun, 1976) With

* ''Live In London'' (3 volumes, Harkit, 1965) With

* ''Playin' In The Yard'' (Steam, 1987) With

* ''When I Want Your Opinion, I'll Give It To You'' (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House, 1963–1965) With

and

Sonny Stitt Edward Hammond Boatner Jr. (February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982), known professionally as Sonny Stitt, was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his ...

* ''The Night Has A Thousand Eyes'' (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House, 1964) With

Alan Skidmore Alan Richard James Skidmore (born 21 April 1942) is an English jazz tenor saxophonist, and the son of saxophonist Jimmy Skidmore. Career He was born in London, England. Skidmore began his professional career in his teens, and early in his care ...

* ''East To West'' (Miles Music, 1989) With

Danny Thompson Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Mart ...

* ''Elemental'' (Antilles, 1990) With

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

* ''Ben Webster At Ronnie Scott's 1964'' (Storyville, 1964) * ''Soho Nights Volume 1'' (ReSteamed, 1968) * ''Soho Nights With Stan Tracey - Vol. 2'' (ReSteamed, 1964) * ''Webster's Dictionary'' (Pye/Philips, 1970) With

Jimmy Witherspoon James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues singer. Early life, family and education Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, and his mot ...

* ''Live in London'' (Harkit, 1966)

Film soundtracks

* ''

Stolen Hours ''Stolen Hours'' is a 1963 British-American drama film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Susan Hayward as a socialite with a brain tumor who falls in love with her surgeon's colleague. The film also stars Michael Craig, Edward Judd and Dia ...

'' (US: ''Summer Flight'', 1963), with

a.o. With

* ''

'' (1966)

References

External links

* – official site
Stan Tracey
re-releases * *

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The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', 13 November 2006 * ttps://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/dec/06/stan-tracey Stan Traceyobituary by

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381. ...

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'', 6 December 2013 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tracey, Stan 1926 births 2013 deaths Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English jazz composers Male jazz composers English male composers English jazz pianists Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Ivor Novello Award winners People from Denmark Hill 20th-century pianists 20th-century English musicians British male pianists Royal Air Force personnel of World War II