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Martin Speake: Intention
BySpeake originally met former The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson in 1990 at the Banff Centre For The Arts in Canada where they studied for a month with Steve Coleman, Kevin Eubanks, Stanley Cowell and Kenny Wheeler amongst others. The two subsequently recorded a duet album of standards, My Ideal (Basho Records, 2004). Speake is one of the UK's finest, if undersung, saxophonists, and, with nine of the eleven tracks on the album attributed to him, he's a talented composer too.
The sumptuous ballad "Becky," opens Intention, with Iverson stating the memorable head and Speake's pure bluesy alto declaiming its confident message during the latter half of the track. But with the jaunty "Twister" the mood changes dramatically and again on "Magic Show," its Ornette Coleman-like melody imparting a distinctive contrapuntal element before launching into freer territory. "Spring Dance" is a joyous celebration with Speake's wailing bluesiness dominant. Of the two non-originals on the album, Speake's interpretation of the Dietz and Schwartz classic "Dancing In The Dark" recalls Kelman's description of "lyricism and subtlety," By contrast, "Charlie's Wig" is a fast-paced reinterpretation of the Parker number. "Hidden Vision" exudes a sprightly Loose Tubes-ish melody, with Speake's alto bouncing around the choruses, nimbly pursued by Iverson. The title track closer is a wistful folky number where once again, Speake's penchant for subtle understatement is brought into relief. His ability to alternate light and shade with every track is key to this impressively seductive album.
Track Listing
Becky; Twister; Magic Show; Spring Dance; The Heron; Dancing in the Dark; Charlie's Wig; Blackwell; June 2nd; Hidden Vision; Intention.
Personnel
Martin Speake
saxophone, altoMartin Speake: alto saxophone; Ethan Iverson: piano; Fred Thomas: bass; James Maddren: drums.
Album information
Title: Intention | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Ubuntu Music
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About Martin Speake
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
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