Tracey Mendham Quartet
Tracey Mendham (ts) Hilary Cameron (p) Chris Rodel (b) Kenrick Rowe (d)
Tracey has a big, strong sound in the tradition of Dexter Gordon, Hank Mobley and Sonny Rollins. She also writes some catchy tunes, and comes recommended by Alan Barnes and Willie and Alex Garnett.
After a solid music college training, Tracey found herself working at the variety of jobs that gigging musicians in London find themselves doing to live. Among the theatre and commercial gigs were deps for Jimmy Hastings in the West End and in several Jump Jive bands, including Blue Harlem and One Jump Ahead. She also worked with Roberto Plas’ Latin Ensemble. She has always been a keen follower of big bands, having heard Dizzy Gillespie, Maynard Ferguson and Stan Tracey bands as a teenager. She got into the big band scene in London, playing in Willie Garnett’s band, the John Hockridge band and in Big Brass. She has most of her time playing club gigs around London and Kent with leading figures such as Alan Barnes, Martin Shaw, Tim Whitehead and many others.
‘Tracey handles all the feels and tempos from the slow ballads to the steamers with assurance and aplomb and is completely at home on fast Latin rhythms. Her originals are genuinely catchy – something which used to be demanded of jazz tunes.”
Abbreviations: as alto sax; b acoustic bass ; bjo banjo; bsax bass sax; cl clarinet, ct cornet; d drums; eb electric bass; eg electric guitar; fl flute; flg flugel horn; g guitar; org organ; p piano : sousa sousaphone; t = trumpet; tr trombone; ts tenor sax; viol violin; voc voice.