Tommaso Starace Organ Trio: Live at The Beaver Inn

Sax player Tommaso Starace took to North Devon’s The Beaver Inn with his Organ Trio for his 11th album.

Together with Martin Jenkins (Hammond organ) and Pip Harbon (drums), Starace produces a live album that clearly delighted the audience at the time. And there’s a lot on here that does delight - the trio itself, as the players weave their lines together, and then a strong choice of tunes. The eight tracks feature compositions by Thelonious Monk, Sergio Mendes, Cedar Walton, Benny Golson, Errott Hardner, Blue Mitchell and concluding with a driven version of Voyage by Kenny Barron.

Each tune on this album represents a different influence on Strace’s playing and allows the trio to swap ideas and improvise inventively.

Born in Italy, Starace trained at Birmingham Conservatoire and Guildhall School of Music and Drama, going on to play across jazz festivals and concert halls with some of the biggest names in music.

There is no doubt as to his dexterity as a sax player and Starace wows on playing the tunes as well as in his improvisation. On the sometimes tricky Benny Golson Stablemates he masterfully guides us around the chord sequence and both he and Harbon delight in thisjazz classic.

Tommaso Starace is a name you’ll hear again, in one of his several ensembles, but his Organ Trio Live at The Beaver Inn provides a delightful version of jazz standards and dextrous improvisation.