1. Cockle Row
2. Starless and Bible Black
3. I Lost My Step in Nantucket
4. No Good Boyo
5. Penpals
6. Llareggub
7. Under Milk Wood
8. A. M. Mayhem
Stan Tracey - Piano
Bobby Wellins - Tenor sax
Jeff Clyne - Bass
Jackie Dougan - Drums
Stan
Tracey's 1965 recording of his "Jazz Suite
inspired by Dylan Thomas" has attained the
status of a classic disc - and rightly so.
Stan's son, drummer Clark Tracey, has now
reissued it on his new ReSteamed label, which
will be making available other Stan Tracey
recordings from the defunct Steam label and
other sources.
After
more than 40 years, the album stands up as
one of Stan's finest. Dylan Thomas's "play
for voices" is transformed into appropriately
varied music, with the hint of a tongue-in-cheek
approach which matches Dylan's attitude towards
his eccentric villagers. Bobby Wellins's dark-toned
tenor sax captures the sombre atmosphere of
the Welsh village - notably in Starless
and Bible Black,
which evokes the gloom of the night. Other
tracks are more cheerful - like Llareggub
(the
palindromic name of the village), which portrays
the livelier side of the community.
The
opening track contains echoes of another tune
- I'm
Getting Sentimental Over You. It
starts with a drum intro by Jackie Dougan,
whose playing is excellent throughout. Wellins's
sax solo is forthright and bluesy, while Tracey's
solo betrays (not for the first time!) the
influence of Thelonious Monk. No
Good Boyo
might have been written by Thelonious, although
it wasn't (all the compositions are by Stan
Tracey). Again, it lets Stan fashion some
jagged shapes at the piano.
I
Lost My Step in Nantucket
(the words of a drowned sailor in Dylan Thomas's
play) is a trio track and one of the catchiest
tunes on the CD. It gives full reign to Tracey's
unexpected twists and turns. Penpals
is another attractive theme, on which Wellins
lays back almost nonchalantly. The title track
is a slow, rather mournful piece but A.
M. Mayhem
is a bright swinger which closes the album
on a positive note.
A
British jazz masterpiece? How often can you
suggest such a thing? But in this case the
answer is undoubtedly "Yes".
Tony
Augarde
CD Reviews
ReSteamed RSJ
101
