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Clark Tracey Sextet

Current Climate

Tentoten Records TTTCDS761

New Clark Tracey bands are always worth checking out, since the great drummer/leader has a keen ear for fresh talent, and the ability to nurture it in his consistently sparky outfits.

Here, he has recruited yet another lively, vigorous set of players whose poise and professionalism belie their relatively tender years: from the big band Pendulum, he's taken the bright, surefooted trumpeter Paul Jordanous and the agile altoist Piers Green; as a result of a brief encounter in the vibist's teens he's enlisted the extravagantly talented Lewis Wright; pianist Kit Downes, despite being only in his earliest twenties, needs no introduction to Vortex patrons, having delighted a packed club on numerous ocasions in various outfits over the past couple of years; and bassist Ryan Trebilcock was originally recommended by his tutor Arnie Somogyi.

The album begins with a suitably bright, peppy Cedar Walton composition, 'Bolivia', which puts the whole band enjoyably through its paces, then intersperses originals (Tracey's own moody title track; an intriguing Downes tune, 'Export', also to be found on Jake Goss's new album; Trebilcock's perky '5 Bellies' and Tracey's rollingly rhythmic 'Devil's Chair', from the Stiperstones suite first aired in the 1980s) with a couple of jazz classics: Monk's 'Bemsha Swing' and Wayne Shorter's Messengers staple, 'One by One'.

Whatever their material, though, the sextet is an archetypal Clark Tracey band, breezily informal yet whip-smart, powerful in the soloing department yet mutually sensitive and perfectly cohesive, the whole flawlessly propelled by one of Europe's most accomplished drummers. Warmly recommended.