'Tommaso Starace Quartet + Special Guests' is my first recording produced in 2002.
After having completed my Master Degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2000 it was time to put into practice many of the things I had learnt in College moreover, having met some great musicians during that Master's degree year, I thought that the band was easy to put together.
The CD is a combination of unusual standards inspired by some of my favourite saxophonists from Parker to Cannonball to J. Redman and I have added three originals: a ballad 'Once Upon a Time'; a bossa 'Primrosehood' dedicated to the the area of Primrose Hill in London where I lived after college for 5 years, and a very fast Blues 'Hairloss' also this a tune dedicated to all the people who suffer loosing their hair.....not a nice moment in our lives!
I was very happy to put together such a great line up of musicians for the recording; some of the guys I met them on the degree course and others I heard about their reputation in the jazz circuit.
The rhythm section is made up of: Tim Lapthorn on piano, Andy Hamill on bass, Ben Reynolds on drums and the guests appearing on some of the tracks include Gareth Lockrane on flute, Ingrid Laubrock on tenor sax, Anthony Ormesher on guitar, Joe Aukland on trumpet, and Eriko Ishihara on piano and vocals.