Jazz Articles about Martin Speake

Martin Speake: Change Of Heart

by Budd Kopman
June 22, 2006

One of the more interesting extra-musical things to observe in jazz is how the connections between musicians happen, and then, of course, how those connections affect the music they produce. In 1993, Martin Speake connected with Paul Motian, and they toured as a trio with bassist Mick Hutton, playing both Speake's and Motian's compositions. Fast forward seven years to 2000 and Speake added Bobo Stenson to the group, playing and composing music that was sensitive to both ...

Martin Speake: Change of Heart

by John Kelman
June 20, 2006

Change of Heart, alto saxophonist Martin Speake's first recording for ECM, will no doubt garner him some well-deserved international exposure. But he's been a fixture on the British scene for two decades, with a varied discography that a larger audience will now hopefully explore. This disc presents only one facet of Speake's interests, but it's as strong an entry point as any to his recent discography, which has included the exceptional Indian-influenced The Journey (Black Box, 2004) and an innovative ...

Martin Speake: Change Of Heart

by Nic Jones
June 13, 2006

A certain clarity of purpose has always run throughout the documentation of Martin Speake's music on record. In an aspect of his career that has taken in quartets, an alto sax/piano duo and a saxophone quartet, Speake has proven himself to be a musician and composer with the ability to pursue his own vision. This quartet disc is thus a whole lot more than the latest evidence on record of his musical development, it is also perhaps the best-realised documentation ...

Martin Speake: Charlie Parker

by John Kelman
May 31, 2005

With this year marking the 50th anniversary of saxophonist Charlie Parker's death, all manner of tributes are likely to crop up. Italian saxophonist Stefano di Battista has already released the reverent Parker's Mood. But when British saxophonist Martin Speake spoke in an interview last year of doing a Parker tribute, given his proclivity for placing a more personal stamp on his projects--as evidenced by Exploring Standards' refashioning of well-heeled tunes into brief miniatures of remarkable depth--one could be certain that ...

Martin Speake: The Journey

by John Kelman
October 16, 2004

Alto saxophonist Martin Speake continues to be an all too well-kept secret in the UK. With a discography that has ranged from the more free-flowing extemporization of The Ta T'ien to the intimate Amazing Grace , from the world music view of Fever Pitch to a unique take on Exploring Standards , Speake's career has been defined by a clear sense of the lyrical that pervades everything he does. And with his work finally appearing on labels with wider distribution, ...

Martin Speake: His Ideal

by John Kelman
August 4, 2004

Alto saxophonist Martin Speake may be well-known in his native England but a bit of a well-kept secret when it comes to exposure in North America, where he deserves a wider audience. With a sound that is influenced by artists as diverse as Ornette Coleman, Paul Motian, Keith Jarrett and Steve Coleman, and a compositional style that embraces elements including Indian and Arabic music, he has already amassed a significant body of work that demonstrates his breadth, focus and ability ...

Martin Speake/Nikki Iles/Duncan Hopkins/Anthony Michelli: Secret

by Michael P. Gladstone
July 23, 2004

Secret is a cooperative quartet comprised of British altoist Martin Speake and pianist Nikki Iles, together with Canadian bassist Duncan Hopkins and drummer Anthony Michelli. Their eponymous debut as a unit, recorded in the fall of 2000 in London, is a 79-minute opportunity to hear a new combo. All but two of the compositions are written by Iles (5), Speake (5) and Hopkins (2).

The most immediate reason for celebration is the work of Martin Speake. He has ...