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Martin Speake

Professorial Staff - Jazz Saxophone, Improvisation, Jazz Combos

Music

Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance
Faculty of Music
King Charles Court
Old Royal Naval College
Greenwich
London
SE10 9JF

Tel: +44 (0)20 8305 4444

Email: m.speake@trinitylaban.ac.uk

Area of Work

Component Leader for Jazz for non-Jazz Musicians
Martin Speake

Biography

Martin studied classical saxophone at Trinity College of Music. At that time there were no jazz courses in London, but he met some future jazz musicians at the college, including pianist Simon Purcell, saxophonist Mark Lockheart and the members of saxophone quartet Itchy Fingers who were studying at RAM. He toured Europe, South America, Africa and the USA with Itchy Fingers appearing at major jazz festivals and playing on their first two CDs Quark (Virgin Records) and Teranga (Venture). In 1986 they won the Schlitz Young Jazz Musicians of the Year Award, which was televised by the BBC.

In 1988, he left the group to develop his own projects, which have been many and diverse, and establish himself as a composer and improviser. Martin is as comfortable playing personal interpretations of the music of Charlie Parker with his quartet, free improvising with drummer Mark Sanders, playing standard ballads in duet with Ethan Iverson and Indian music with Dharambir Singh and Sarvar Sabri. He has recorded 18 cds under his own name of diverse projects including the internationally acclaimed ECM release Change Of Heart with Paul Motian, Bobo Stenson and Mick Hutton.

He started his own record label Pumpkin in 2007 and has released 7 cds so far. SPARK is a duo with drummer/percussionist Mark Sanders, TWO NOT ONE a duo with guitarist Colin Oxley. Two albums with Barry Green, Dave Green and Jeff Williams entitled GENERATIONS and LIVE AT RIVERHOUSE. ALWAYS A FIRST TIME featuring Mike Outram and Jeff Williams in 2013 and in 2014 SOUND CLOUDS with improvising classical pianist Douglas Finch and THE QUIET MIND with Mark Sanders and Oren Marshall.

Martin has also performed with 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, saxophonist John Williams, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, Jim Mullen, Dave Cliff, Julian Arguelles, Ephie Resnick and the Royal Shakespeare Company among others.

He is lead alto saxophonist in the London Jazz Orchestra conducted by Scott Stroman and has recently formed a project to study and learn all the compositions of Thelonious Monk with pianist/ composer/valve trombonist Hans Koller. His main creative outlet is a trio with guitarist Mike Outram and US drummer Jeff Williams performing original music.

Martin is a committed jazz educator and in addition to Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance he teaches at the Royal Academy of Music and the National Youth Jazz Collective Summer School. He was external examiner at Birmingham Conservatoire for several years and also taught at Middlesex University and is guest tutor and examiner at Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

He is also involved in a British Jazz Oral History project of his own and has interviewed a number of important musicians such as Kenny Wheeler, Geoff Simkins, Dave Cliff, Pete Saberton and many others. These interviews can be read on his website at www.martinspeake.com

He has a BSc in Nutritional Medicine and has his own practice for clients who want to improve their health through diet and lifestyle changes.

Qualifications/ Educational Background

Classical Saxophone, Trinity College of Music, 1977-81

Creative Outputs

  • Martin Speake Group (ECM, 2004)
  • My Ideal (Basho Records) with Ethan Iverson
  • The Exploring Standards Trio (33 Records) with Mick Hutton and Tom Skinner
  • Secret (Basho Records, 2002) with Nikki Iles, Duncan Hopkins and Anthony Michelli
  • Hullabaloo (Linn Records, 2002)
  • Martin Speake with John Parricelli Steve Watts, Steve Arguelles, In Our Time (Jazz Label)
  • Martin Speake with John Parricelli Steve Watts, Steve Arguelles Trust (33 Records)
  • Martin Speake with Chris Batchelor, Stuart Hall, Oren Marshall, Paul Clarvis, Dave Hassell, Dawson Miller Fever Pitch (Village Life)
  • Martin Speake with Phil Lee Pete Saberton, Mick Hutton Bryan Spring Amazing Grace (Spotlite)
  • Martin Speake with Nikki Iles The Tan T’ien (Fmr)
  • Martin Speake with Nikki Iles Secret (Basho) Duncan Hopkins, Anthony Michelli Martin Speake with John Parricelli Mick Hutton,Tom Skinner Hullabaloo (Linn)
  • Martin Speake with Mick Hutton Tom Skinner Exploring Standards (33)
  • Martin Speake with Ethan Iverson My Ideal(Basho)
  • Martin Speake with Dharambir Singh The Journey(Black Box)
  • Sarvar Sabri Martin Speake with Mike Outram Simon Thorpe, Dave Wickins Charlie Parker (Jazzizit)
  • Martin Speake with Paul Motian Bobo Stenson, Mick Hutton Change Of Heart (ECM)
  • Martin Speake with Mark Sanders Spark (Pumpkin)
  • Martin Speake with Barry Green Dave Green, Jeff Williams Generations (Pumpkin)
  • Martin Speake with Barry Green Live At Riverhouse (Pumpkin)
  • Dave Green, Jeff Williams Martin Speake with Colin Oxley Two Not One (Pumpkin)
  • Martin Speake with Jeff Williams Mike Outram Always A First Time (Pumpkin)
  • Martin Speake with Douglas Finch Sound Clouds (Pumpkin)
  • Martin Speake with Oren Marshall The Quiet Mind (Pumpkin)

External Appointments

  • Saxophone Professor and Contemporary Music Co-ordinator, Royal Academy of Music Jazz Course
  • Saxophone Teacher, Middlesex University
  • Ensemble Leader, Guildhall School of Music and Drama
  • External Examiner, Birmingham Conservatoire

Awards

  • Dame Ruth Railton prize for woodwind playing
  • Peter Whittingham Award, 1999

Grants awarded

  • Arts Council Composing Bursary 1986
  • Arts Council Large Ensemble Touring Grant 1994
  • A4E National Lottery/Arts Council Recording Grant 1997
  • Peter Whittingham Award for Touring 1999
  • Cheltenham International Jazz Festival Composing Commission 2000
  • Arts Council National Touring Programme Award 2000
  • Arts Council Grants For The Arts for National Tour 2013