CD Review: Stan Tracey - Sound Check

Stan Tracey Duo/Trio Sound Check
(Resteamed RSJ 110, Review by Chris Parker)

This double CD, as its title suggests, has its roots in the easy, informal interplay between pianist Stan Tracey and his drummer son Clark Tracey in the sound checks they routinely undertake before performances.

Stan's late wife Jackie, who must have heard a good few of these impromptu duets in her time, urged them to make a recording as a duo, and the wisdom of her advice is manifest in all nine of the first CD's tracks. As Clark says in his liner notes, these pieces draw on 'the many musical influences we've shared, sounds I grew up with and the flavours of places we've visited', and the closeness of the consequent musical rapport is apparent from the first few bars of 'Foregone Conclusion', the album's feisty opener, to its closer, 'Midnight Around', its Monk reference clear in its title.

The programme is presented as recorded, the tunes all springing from what Clark refers to as 'a vague mood or style', and the finished versions are unedited, so the overall impression is of an intimate, easygoing but supremely musicianly session, hard-swinging and thoughtful by turns, but always demonstrating the truth of the memorable remark once made by Stan in a radio interview to the effect that he'd been searching for a suitable drummer all his career, unaware that he already had one in his loins. This bond is enjoyably apparent throughout the duo CD, but is also vital in the second, on which regular bassist, the lush-toned but lithe Andrew Cleyndert, is heard; the fours-trading between father and son is almost telepathically smart and precise, Clark's selection of timbre and dynamics behind Stan's improvisations always absolutely spot-on. Overall, though, Sound Check is very much a showcase for the UK's most (justly) celebrated jazz pianist, which he clearly revels in, firing off a series of characteristically playful but pungent solos on both classics ('Chelsea Bridge', 'I Want to Be Happy', a couple of Monk tunes etc.) on the trio album and the unplanned improvised duets on the duo CD.

All the Tracey hallmarks are present: the delightfully unpredictable skipping runs, the sudden intervallic leaps down the piano concluding in an emphatic percussive clang that seems to launch the solo back up the keys, the telling use of space and subtle rhythmic displacement. 'Strong, virtuosic individuality' is Clark's phrase for this, and it has seldom been better documented than on this wholly enjoyable and valuable release.

Review: Tamir Hendelman

Tamir Hendelman Trio
(Bull’s Head, London – December 21, 2010. Review by Thomas Gray)

Amidst the abundance of excitingly hip and innovative piano trios springing up every year, it is often easy to overlook those trios still plugging away in a straight-ahead vein. Israeli-born pianist Tamir Hendelman (with Brits Andy Cleyndert on bass and Tom Gordon on drums) reminded us of the deep pleasures the latter can still bring, particularly when that ensemble has fine-tuned its interplay and sense of swing to near-perfection with a two week stint together on the road.

Kicking off with ‘Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams’, above, Hendelman belied his slight figure and unassuming presence with full-bodied block chords, impressive Oscar Peterson-like double octave runs and an infectiously driving swing which set the tone for the rest of the evening. While his virtuosic vocabulary may have had an air of the familiar about it (with echoes of the greats of swing through to hard-bop piano), his solos were delivered with such joy and effortless mastery that they were never less than engaging.

As the set went on, Hendelman stepped confidently outside of this mainstream comfort zone, turning what was already an enjoyable gig into an outstanding one. The spiky Monk-ish dissonances in his intro to Harry Sweets Edison’s ‘Centerpiece’ showed that he casts his stylistic net far wider than the opening numbers had suggested. Then came my highlight from the first set: the Prelude from Ravel’s ‘Le Tombeau de Couperin’. This piece fitted a jazz re-working so well, with its 6/8 Afro-Cuban ‘Bembe’ feel at one point and a chord sequence almost reminiscent of Chick Corea’s ‘Windows’, that it left me scratching my head as to why it isn’t already a standard.

Cleyndert and Gordon navigated the often tricky charts with flair and precision, never missing a kick or dropping a beat. It was a delight to see Cleyndert given a lot of solo space – his articulate improvisations and confident use of the bow confirmed that he really is one of our finest bassists. My only complaint during the evening was with the piano, which was shockingly out of tune in its upper register. Hendelman coped stoically with this, where some lesser pianists might have behaved as prima donnas. I’m hoping he comes back to the UK soon; hopefully next time we can provide an instrument in a condition more fitting to his considerable talents.

*Hendelman’s latest album ‘Destinations’ is on Resonance Records*

http://www.tamirhendelman.com/