Artist: Martin Speake

Date of Release:

Catalogue no: ECM 1831

Label: ECM

Price: £12.99

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Track Listing

Martin Speake Change of Heart Martin Speake saxophone Bobo Stenson piano Mick Hutton bass Paul Motian drums Recorded April 2002

Reviews

01/08/2006 Thomas Conrad JazzTimes magazine

"Change of Heart" is yet another example of how ECM is able to startle the ethnocentric American audience with the strength of the European jazz scene. Martin Speake has made 10 albums as a leader and has been involved in a diverse range of London-based projects. His first recording for an internationally distributed label is quietly
stunning. His alto saxophone voice has some of the cool, intelligent clarity of Lee Konitz, but Speake's music encompasses more contrasts. While his ideas follow free impulses, his discipline and focus make the eight originals of "Change of Heart" feel like one sustained fabric of intense reflection.

The world-class rhythm section here is pianist Bobo Stenson, bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Paul Motian. Speake and Stenson often sound like tonal variants of one consciousness, searching together through the diverse connotations of Speake's tunes, veering into one
fresh discovery after another. A fervent creative pressure motivates their explorations of slow pieces like "Venn" and Buried Somewhere" and "In the Moment". They do not present themselves like ballads--they burn.

"Change of Heart" makes a compelling case that Martin Speake is one of the most interesting and rewarding alto saxophonists now playing jazz on any continent.

01/05/2006 Duncan Heining, Jazzwise

This is surely Martin Speake’s finest album to date. Everything is right about it – the writing, the choice of personnel, the performances from all concerned, the production. … Moving in and out of time with a constantly shifting pulse, these eight pieces are located on the fringes of abstraction but remain highly melodic at the same time. There’s a warm, reflective and ambient feeling to the record that draws listeners into the musicians’ space and holds them suspended in that world. … There’s no point in singling out particular tracks, as it’s the whole experience that the listener will experience and enjoy. A real and lasting achievement.