Release Date: 29 March 2024
Label: Stray Horn Records
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5060138617216
Genres: Jazz Contemporary
Description
Drummer Clark Tracey introduces us to the exceptional vocalist Emily Masser on this recording of his quintet, alongside rising-star saxophonist Alex Clarke, pianist Graham Harvey and bassist James Owston.
"Having started to play drums in his father Stan Tracey's bands at the age of seventeen, Clark Tracey is no stranger to the idea of giving opportunities to younger players. His current quintet not only includes bassist James Owston, a finalist in the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician finals; saxophonist and flautist Alex Clarke, who was named Rising Star in the following year's British Jazz Awards; but also the comparatively senior figure of Graham Harvey on piano, who, after studying music in Denver, Colorado, has worked with a who's who of top musicians on the UK jazz and pop scene. But the newest arrival, and the focus of this album, is the prodigiously talented young singer, Emily Masser.
The first two numbers here give a flavour of the range of her talent, from the impeccable scatting that follows James's nimble bass introduction on Bobby Watson's 'A Bitta Bittadose', to her beautiful rendition of Truman Capote's lyrics for 'A Sleeping Bee'...Emily's scat-singing keeps pace with the intricacies of Alex Clarke's saxophone lines, as Emily herself studies saxophone (along with singing) at London's Guildhall School of Music. Her second tour-de-force of scat here is on the breakneck opening tempo of Jimmy Deuchar's 'Suddenly last Tuesday', a song that was something of a test piece for both Tubby Hayes and Ronnie Scott, back in the day, but which presents no problems for Emily, or indeed for Alex, whose searing solo neatly makes room for a drop back to half-tempo at one point." - Alyn Shipton
Clark Tracey: drums, backing vocals
Emily Masser: vocals
Alex Clarke: alto and tenor saxophone, flute
Graham Harvey: piano, Rhodes
James Owston: bass
Tracklisting
The Clark Tracey Quintet
Alex Clarke Quartet
Sultan Stevenson
John Patitucci
Tommy Whittle & Alan Barnes
Xhosa Cole
John Clayton & Mulgrew Miller
George Cables
Sylvaine Helary & Orchestre Incandescent
The Exu
