Martin Speake, the prolific composer and virtuoso saxophonist will perform a repertoire of intriguing re-worked classics including songs by legendary Charlie Parker and original material next month at the Quay Arts’ Jazz Cafe.
Speake creates a unique sound; his music is filled with improvisation, with a dynamic range from a whisper to a growl influenced by jazz, rock, classical, ambient, world music “¦. In fact, everything!
This is the perfect opportunity to come along, have a glass of wine or delicious home-cooked meal from our special Jazz Cafe Menu whilst listening to this singularly outstanding and prolific musician.
Born into a musical family with his grandmother, a pub pianist all her life having started off playing for silent films and a cousin who was a semi professional jazz pianist who was inspired by Bill Evans, his mother loved Ella Fitzgerald and his auntie and uncle listened to Frank Sinatra, The Beatles and Errol Garner. Parties would always have music at them, which usually meant family and friends would take it in turns to sing a song.
Speake left school at 16 with few qualifications. He bought his first alto saxophone in his first office job in a motor insurance company where he lasted only eight months. After hearing Ornette Coleman on record, he began practising and taking lessons. After studying some music theory he first went to Southgate Technical College and then to Trinity College of Music to study classical saxophone from 1977-81.
Speake met with other musicians at the college who were playing jazz, such as pianist Simon Purcell and saxophonist Mark Lockheart with whom he formed a group,. He also met the musicians who were to form the saxophone quartet Itchy Fingers. Speake toured Europe, South America, Africa and the USA with this group, appearing at most major jazz festivals and playing on their first two cds. In 1986 they won the Schlitz Young Jazz Musicians of the Year Award which was televised by the BBC.
He left this band to work on his own projects, forming the Martin Speake Group featuring guitarist John Parricelli, bassist Steve Watts and drummer Steve Arguelles. His other projects include two very different duos with guitarist Phil Lee (exploring the jazz standard) and pianist Nikki Iles (playing contemporary tunes and free improvisation) and the 7 piece world music band Fever Pitch featuring 3 percussionists. He has also played the music of Ornette Coleman with Mind and Time, free improvisation with the Eternal Triangle and Indian music with Dharambir Singh.
Speake’s approach is diverse, influences in musical styles and musicians are wide-ranging. He has performed with several musicians including Paul Motian, Bobo Stenson, Loose Tubes, Stan Tracey, Bhavani Shankar, Billy Jenkins, Django Bates, Bob Wilber, Conrad Herwig, Don Weller, Ronan Guilfoyle, Alison Bentley, The Style Council, Ann Pigalle, Kadam, John Williams, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, Jim Mullen, Dave Cliff, Julian Arguelles, Ephie Resnick and the Royal Shakespeare Company among others.
Despite his rocky start in education, today Speake is very involved in jazz education and is saxophone professor and contemporary music co-ordinator on the Royal Academy of Music Jazz Course and saxophone teacher at Middlesex University. Speake has also taught in schools, adult education classes, weekend courses and summer schools throughout the country. He has also composed music for the Associated Board jazz piano syllabus and a solo saxophone piece for Faber Music.
What others have said:
“A saxophonist with an unusual turn of phrase, a persuasively gentle sound and jazz allegiances that don’t follow the usual Coltranesque paths but veer instead toward the fifties Cool School. Martin Speake is not just a distinctive improviser but a striking composer too.”
John Fordham -The Guardian
“Martin Speake is not just a distinctive improviser but a striking composer too”.
John Fordham – The Guardian
Bits and Bobs:
Performance Date/Time: Fri 13 Mar 8pm Bar & Menu from 6:30pm
Location: Cafe Bar, Quay Arts
Ticket Price: £10/ *£9 (*Friends/Members Concession)
Box Office 01983 822490
