Released: 12/05/23
It features compositions by the great Stan Tracey - The Godfather of British Jazz -
inspired by Dylan Thomas' drama 'Under Milk Wood', including the timeless
"Starless and Bible Black" with its acclaimed solo by tenor saxophonist Bobby
Wellins.
Like Thomas's characters, the themes vary greatly in tempo, in mood, in dramatic
depth. The title song is a triumph, not only because it stands by itself as a
beautifully conceived jazz ballad, but because it sets the scene for the rest of the
writing and playing. Some of the other themes are impressionistic and highly
subjective sketches of Thomas seen through the prism of jazz.
It was awarded 69th place in Jazzwise magazine's The 100 Jazz Albums That
Shook the World: "Tracey is indispensable, a one-man mission statement. Here he
showed how much could be achieved within the basic jazz quartet format.
Reaction at the time seems to have been along the lines of where on earth did
this come from? Coherent, vital and mind-stretching."