Stan Tracey and accordions - a great musician and a dry wit

With apologies to accordionists everywhere, I laughed a lot when I read this excerpt from a conversation between the late and truly great British jazz painist and composer, Stan Tracey CBE.

"I used to listen to radio broadcasts from British dance bands. There was a guy called Harry Roy, the king of a dance craze called ha cha cha. Not cha cha cha. Then I saw an accordion in the local music shop, a beautiful, big shiny thing. It was the glitter that did it for me. So I started learning that. But it put you in arsehole-land as soon as you strapped it on, it was such a ridiculous thing. I played with the forces entertainment service, in a Gypsy accordion band with no Gypsies. We toured factories and played to people during their lunch hour, to encourage the war effort. I think they had us to make sure the workers didn't take too long over their lunch. They couldn't wait to get out."

Such a modest man, the antithesis to so much over-hyped musical bullshit around us today, at times. You never heard him say things like "utterly fantastic, completely fabulous, awesome..." And he had that dry, often cutting, throw-away wit which I miss so much in these days of Fckbk and Twatter, that medialand so often juvenile in its hysteries, tribal in its loyalties and enthusiasms, and so very PC - provided you are on the same side as the tribe.

Where was I? Ah yes, Stan Tracey. I saw him in Bristol one evening when a band member started grumbling about the PA.  Stan made shushing noises, looked around him furtively and said "We're lucky to get the gig."

No Stan, we were lucky to be listening to you. 

As I was lucky when I heard him backing another jazz great, Ben Webster, at Ronnie Scott's in 1964. There's now a recording of that evening:

to be found on ReSteamed Records:

http://www.resteamed.com/collectors.htm

and here they are in action, Stan, BW, Jackie Dougan and Jeff Clyne:

But many fans will say that one of Stan's truly classic works was his jazz suite "Under Milk Wood," with Bobby Wellins. The track "Starless and Bible Black" is one of themost beautiful things I've ever heard from a group of British musicians, in any genre. Hold your breath and give it an ear: