Tuesday, 8 March, 2016

8.30 - 11.00pm
£6 on the door

Citing Lee Konitz, Charlie Parker, Warne Marsh, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman, Steve Coleman, Rabi Abou Khalil and Paul Motian as major influences, Martin has developed a personal musical voice that expresses a deep understanding of the history and language of jazz with individuality as an improviser that is intelligent, melodic, cool, complex, direct, beautiful and profound. "Known for his collaborations with legendary US drummer Paul Motian and The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson, Speake has for a long time now been quietly building up a unique body of work that puts him in the top flight of British contemporary jazz. With a sound steeped in the tradition of fifties cool jazz" - BBC Jazz on 3. "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 one of the most interesting and rewarding alto saxophonists now playing jazz on any continent." - Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times.