Jazz Suite Inspired By Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood

The haunting Starless and Bible Black remains probably the finest single recorded performance by a British jazz group. — The Observer More…

Release Date: 12th May 2023
Catalogue No: RSJLP001
Label: Resteamed

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June 2023

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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 Saxophone

Jeff Clyne: Bass

Jackie Dougan: Drums

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Classic Recordings, Stan Tracey Quartet, 'Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood'

10th May 2023

In light of a new vinyl reissue of this seminal British jazz release, we take a look at how the 1965 recording captures the Welsh poet's imaginative genius.

Reissued on vinyl for the first time in nearly 40 years, The Stan Tracey Quartet's "Under Milk Wood" is considered one of the finest British jazz albums ever made, an effortlessly iconic masterpiece that encapsulates the heady '60s jazz boom.

It features compositions by the great Stan Tracey - The Godfather of British Jazz - inspired by Dylan Thomas' drama 'Under Milk Wood', including the timeless "Starless and Bible Black" with its acclaimed solo by tenor saxophonist Bobby Wellins.

Like Thomas's characters, the themes vary greatly in tempo, in mood, in dramatic depth. The title song is a triumph, not only because it stands by itself as a beautifully conceived jazz ballad, but because it sets the scene for the rest of the writing and playing. Some of the other themes are impressionistic and highly subjective sketches of Thomas seen through the prism of jazz.

* Limited one-off pressing of 1000 copies worldwide

* Lacquers cut by Caspar Sutton-Jones @ Gearbox Studios

* Includes new sleeve note by Stan Tracey's son Clark Tracey

Reviews

The haunting Starless and Bible Black remains probably the finest single recorded performance by a British jazz group.

June 2023

Ultimately, this album is, for many, Tracey's finest house, the moment he wrote himself into the jazz history books with an album that has assumed a life of its own, a life lasting beyond that of its creators.

Coherent, vital and mind-stretching, Tracey’s eight pieces provide a remarkable insight into Thomas’ great work but also into the creative process itself and the myriad sources jazz could explore for inspiration. With its jaunty, picaresque tunes and assured playing that reflected Thomas’ saucy, roguish book, the album is a wonderfully humorous work that extended the boundaries in a hugely subtle way. After this, there would always be more to jazz than just blowing.

Jazz Suite Inspired By Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood

Vinyl Record

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Classic Recordings, Stan Tracey Quartet, 'Jazz Suite Inspired by Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood'

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