Alto saxophonist Martin Speake first came to prominence as a member of the Itchy Fingers saxophone quartet during the UK “jazz boom” of the 1980’s. A solo artist since 1988 Speake has never quite enjoyed the high profile of tenor players Courtney Pine and Andy Sheppard who emerged at around the same time but he has kept consistently busy on the live circuit and produced a wide ranging and substantial catalogue of recorded material. International recognition has come through his work with pianists Ethan Iverson (of The Bad Plus fame) and particularly Bobo Stenson with whom he recorded the excellent ECM album “Change Of Heart”.

Speake’s impressively diverse back catalogue ranges from exploring standards (indeed there was an album of that title) through world music to free improvisation with the drummer Mark Sanders. He is a naturally inquisitive player who has convinced in a number of differing but always interesting contexts.

This current project once again finds Speake investigating the standards repertoire with the release of the “Generations” album on his own Pumpkin label. The band assembled for the album features the exciting young pianist Barry Green, venerable British bassist Dave Green (no relation), a veteran of countless performances and recordings, plus ex pat US drummer Jeff Williams, currently also a member of the “Change Of Heart ” group. For the Abergavenny show Dave Green was replaced by the young double bassist Sam Lasserson.

On the “Generations” album Speake and his colleagues deconstruct a number of lesser known standards and improvise upon them at length. That was pretty much the approach the group adopted here with much of the material being drawn from the recording. They opened in lively fashion with “I’ve Never Been In Love Before” which introduced the voices of the band in a loose head/solos/head format.

Both Speake and Green are versatile, inventive players at home in a number of formats. Green has played with saxophonists as diverse as Ingrid Laubrock and Bobby Wellins and although the piano was somewhat buried in the mix on the first number he was subsequently to come into his own with a series of increasingly assured solos over the course of the evening. Williams is an experienced drummer who worked extensively with Dave Liebman and Richie Beirach in the States before coming to the UK. His crisp, subtly propulsive drumming is a vital component of Speake’s ensembles. Young bassist Lasserson, who was also to feature as a soloist acquitted himself well in this company.

Billie Holiday’s album “Lady In Satin” was the source for the group’s version of “I’m A Fool To Want You”. The tune also appears on the “Generations” album and was introduced here by Williams’ brushes before Speake took up the theme in ballad mode. Relaxed and unhurried the piece also featured Green extensively. The pianist sounded better in a quieter situation, soloing fluently and interacting superbly with Williams’ subtle polyrhythms.

Speake came to jazz via the music of Ornette Coleman and has emphasised the point that he is not a bebop player. However this didn’t stop him from negotiating the twists and turns of Charlie Parker’s “Shaw ‘Nuff” with considerable aplomb. Meanwhile Green’s percussive chording paid tribute to another bop giant in Thelonious Monk. Williams also featured with a brisk, energetic solo. 

However the most remarkable item of the first set was the closing “When You’re Smiling”, the normally jaunty melody being subverted into a melancholy ballad. It’s not the first time this has been done but Speake’s gently probing alto was supremely effective. The piece built from Lasserson’s unaccompanied bass intro and at the close of the group’s intriguing explorations on a superficially simple theme the bassist was the last man standing as the tune ended on a note of perfect symmetry. 

The second half began with the title track of Sonny Rollins’ 1957 album “Way Out West” and once again featured a sparkling solo from the increasingly impressive Green alongside the leader’s distinctive alto. Speake has a dry, almost feathery tone but he solos with a quiet authority. He is an intuitively melodic player, but one that avoids all the obvious clichés.

Nowhere was this illustrated better than on the following “Strangers In The Night”, apparently once described by Frank Sinatra as the “worst song I’ve ever sung”. Speake and his colleagues deconstructed this in characteristic fashion with Green’s glacial piano and Williams’ delicate cymbal touches particularly effective.

The leader’s unaccompanied alto ushered in Miles Davis’ “Donna Lee”, Green subsequently joining Speake for an inspired duet.

Green’s Monk influence was alluded to during the first set. The quartet now tackled “Round Midnight”, probably Monk’s best known composition. Speake, Green and Lasserson all featured strongly on this acknowledged classic, played here in ballad form.

The group then explored the music of another giant of the music as they played John Coltrane’s “I Wish I Knew”. Speake’s powerful opening solo was accompanied by Green’s comping at the piano. Green subsequently used this as the basis for his own remarkable solo, his two handed approach exerting an almost hypnotic quality.

For the closing “Sweetheart Of All My Dreams”, a song dating back to the 1920’s the group adopted an intentionally trad feel complete with the military snare sound of Williams’ drums. Speake and Green then took the tune somewhere altogether more modern with their solos.

Another re-assuringly healthy BMJ crowd called the quartet back for an encore. During the lull the distinctive sounds of a Welsh male voice choir could be heard drifting in from the bar. They had been playing a concert elsewhere in the town and were now unwinding, still singing over a pint. Well it was St. David’s day after all. One or two smartly dressed gentlemen even wandered in to listen to the quartet’s encore. 

This proved to be a spirited version of “Limehouse Blues” which featured brief solos from all four protagonists and finished the evening on a high note. Speake and his group had certainly explored an interesting range of material and were very well received. The playing had been of a high standard throughout the only quibbles being about the sound which sometimes rendered the piano too quiet and the drums too loud. Perhaps some form of matting on the stone floor would have helped to muffle the drum kit.

As we left the choir were still singing in the bar and if we lived more locally I would have been tempted to stay a while longer and listen to them. Nevertheless it had been an excellent evening of music in the “Land Of Song”. 

For details of Martin Speake’s CD releases see http://www.martinspeake.co.uk

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