I Mean You
Another Thelonious Monk tune, this time I Mean You, played by the superb British pianist Stan Tracey, who will be 75 later this year. He’s not very well known outside the UK, but I think he’s as good as any living jazz piano player anywhere in the world. See if you agree. This is just a fragment of a performance, recorded in London about 5 years ago, in which he demonstrates the highly unusual technique he uses to make music that’s inspired by Monk and Duke Ellington but which nevertheless manages be always uniquely Stan Tracey…
In the Dark 
March 13, 2011 at 10:40 pm
Reminds me of those typists who fly around the keyboard with one or two fingers from each hand. He kind plays the piano like it’s a percussion instrument too …lol, which it is of course! Sounds fine though 🙂
March 14, 2011 at 11:52 am
The way he uses his fingers is completely unique – needless to say, he’s self taught!
But as far as the percussive quality is concerned, he’s clearly inspired by Thelonious Monk, who played with his fingers straight using them to hit the keys rather like you would use mallets on a vibraphone.
March 30, 2011 at 8:40 pm
My latest Kirk acquisition (see comment on previous jazz post) is a CD of early 60s recordings from Ronnie Scott’s featuring a superb Mr Tracy on piano.