Hello Old Adversary - Stan Tracey . . solo piano

All compositions by Stan Tracey.
"Sphere" and "Ahamay" were recorded on 9^th July 1978, all the remainder were recorded on 17^th July 1979.

• Sphere
• Step into my Waltz
• Ahamay
• Dear Frog
• Chordal Dawdle
• Macnoon
• Madcap Molly
• Toodle-Blue
• Hello Old Adversary
• Eddie K
• Mighty Like a Nut
• Palace in the Sky
• Once a Jolly Jobsworth

• STEAM SJ 107
• Recorded by Tri Arts Associates Ltd in the Recital Room at South Hill Park Arts Centre Bracknell.
• Engineered by Peter Bould (All tracks) Peter Ball (1978 tracks) Assisted on all tracks by Rainer Schneider.
• Mastered by Ray Staff - Trident Studios London
• Produced by Peter Bould & Stan Tracey
• Technical Note: The master tapes were transferred direct to disc with no intermediate transfers.

Notes: © Stan Tracey SPHERE is a glance in the direction of Thelonious Monk, a man whose music I have always enjoyed. There are four tracks on the album which employ a predetermined chord sequence. Sphere is one of them.
STEP INTO MY WALTZ is in two sections. The first, and shorter section may appear to be slightly sinister in the beginning but the veil of dark threats soon drops, revealing just a harmless old waltz!
AHAMAY is, as any pianist worth his salt should know, Yamaha backwards. It is also the name of the instrument used on this recording and one which I particularly like playing. The music starts life in a nomadic mood and eventually finds a key to call its own.
DEAR FROG is an instant ballad and is in memory of Ben Webster whose close friends and contemporaries knew affectionately as Frog. He was a lovely guy and this one is for him.
CHORDAL DAWDLE is just that. A ramble through the highway and by-ways of harmonies various. On this track we take the scenic route.
MACNOON is on a set sequence and is my phonetic spelling of an Arabic word meaning crazy. I used it because there aren't many words like Macnoon around.
MADCAP MOLLY seems a fitting title for this piece which has, I think, a feeling of eccentricity about it. The music is freely improvised.
TOODLE-BLUE means that the music starts in a blue mood and then cheers up. Improvisation on improvised chord sequences.
HELLO OLD ADVERSARY! is, when arriving at a gig, the silent greeting I sometimes give to the resident piano. Anyone who has ever grappled with one of the beasts will understand well the salutation. The piece moves from a 'free' beginning into conventional, though still improvised, harmonies.
EDDIE K. is, I hope, a not too irreverant diminution of Edward Kennedy Ellington. For me Ellington the pianist, composer and orchestrator is supreme - and a constant inspiration. The contribution made and the enrichment given by the giant talents of Edward Kennedy to Jazz are beyond assessment.
MIGHTY LIKE A NUT is based on one of Monk's tunes and afficionados should have no trouble identifying it. Postcards only, please.
PALACE IN THE SKY is a D.I.Y. waltz. The title comes from Air India's reference to their Jumbo Jets as 'Your palace in the sky'.
ONCE A JOLLY JOBSWORTH is, as the title implies, dedicated to Jobsworths everywhere. The music here is about one in particular in whom trace elements of jollity were discovered. Since this is a rare phenomena it is a possibility that this is the only piece in the history of music which celebrates the fact.