Clark Tracey's first recording as a leader since 2009 and the debut recording for his "new" quintet, a band uniting some of the brightest young stars on the British jazz circuit. On 'Meantime' they perform two original compositions by the leader, plus songs by Tony Williams, Cedar Walton, Clark Terry and others.
The catalyst for this group's formation was Clark's tenure as a tutor at Birmingham Conservatoire, an establishment that boasts a formidable turn-out of notable jazz talent. Of the many students he's heard there over the past few years, three in particular piqued his interest: saxophonist Chris Maddock, pianist Harry Bolt and bassist Daniel Casimir. Around this nucleus the band began to take shape in 2013. Rising star trumpeter Henry Armburg Jennings was then added to make it a quintet.
Tracey has long been regarded as the UK's most accomplished straightahead jazz drummers; he's also a composer, arranger, educator and talent-spotter par excellence. Clark's been fronting his own units since the early 1980s, in effect operating a finishing school for three generations of British Jazz talent.
The son of British jazz legend Stan Tracey, he joined his father's ensemble aged seventeen. As a freelance drummer, Clark has had the opportunity to perform with just about every major player on the UK jazz scene and supported a host of visiting artists, such as Johnny Griffin, Pharaoh Sanders and Jimmy Smith. His own groups have included luminaries such as Guy Barker, Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Kit Downes, Zoe Rahman and many others.
Personnel: Clark Tracey (drums), Chris Maddock (alto and tenor saxophone), Henry Armburg Jennings (trumpet, flugel horn), Harry Bolt (piano), Daniel Casimir (bass)
