Martin Speake - Hullabaloo - The Scotsman

Alto saxophonist Martin Speake again exhibits the cool lucidity and invention which has been the hallmark of his playing since he first emerged on the London jazz scene in the mid-1980s. That coolness does not imply any lack of musical expression, however, and he finds a sympathetic response from his collaborators in his current quartet - guitarist John Parricelli, bassist Mick Hutton and drummer Tom Skinner. The choice of guitar rather than piano gives the music an airy, lightly textured feel, and the saxophonist balances the omission of piano by dedicating three of his nine compositions to pianists.