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Independent music since 1986.
Independent music since 1986.
364: CHRIS SPEED. Light Line

364: CHRIS SPEED. Light Line

Intakt Recording #364/ 2021

Chris Speed: Clarinet

Recorded, mixed in San Diego, October 2020, by Anthony Burr.

CHF 12.00 - CHF 30.00
CHF 30.00
CHF 12.00 - CHF 30.00
CHF 30.00
Format: Compact Disc
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Chris Speed, a driving force of modern jazz for decades, presents Light Line, an impressive solo statement on the clarinet. The repertoire of this musical legacy includes his own pieces and short improvisations, as well as compositi- ons by inspiring luminaries such as John Coltrane, Julius Hemphill, Eric Dolphy and Paul Motion. In addition, there are compositions by friends and long-time musical compa- nions such as Andrew D'Angelo, Skúli Sverrisson and Hilmar Jensson.
There is "an implicit guiding light through the whole project: the commitment to reduction, to finding the power in taking things away, the power in trusting that there is still a lot there once you do take the surface layers away, and above all an undying commitment to melody in some elemental sense as the primary element in music", writes Anthony Burr in the liner notes.

Album Credits

Cover art and graphic design: Jonas Schoder
Liner notes: Anthony Burr
Photo: David Haskell

Recorded, mixed in San Diego, October 2020, by Anthony Burr. Mastered in Seattle, December 2020, by Mell Dettmer.

Customer Reviews

Based on 15 reviews
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B
Bruce Lee Gallanter
Downtown Music Gallery

Although Chris Speed is well known as a tenor saxist who has worked with Tim Berne in Bloodcount (starting in the early 1990's), Pachora (with Jim Black & Skuli Sverrison) and the Claudia Quintet, over time Mr. Speed has been doubling on clarinet for a long time as well. I don't think that Mr.
Speed has made a recording where he just plays clarinet until now and solo clarinet recordings are rather rare. For this disc Mr. Speed composed 6 of the nine tracks with diverse covers by Ornette Coleman, Eric Dolphy, Julius Hemphill and Paul Motian plus two covers from former bandmates: Hilmar Jensson (in Tyft) & Skuli S. (from Pachora).
The first thing I noticed about this disc is this: Mr. Speed has a wonderful, warm expressive tone on clarinet and this disc is superbly recorded, dry yet just right. The opening song is also the title track, "Light Line" and it is also a tour-de-force with Mr. Speed showing off his lush tone with layers of circular streams interwoven in a delightful tapestry. The piece sounds like a madrigal with several lines spinning at the same time. Since Mr. Speed is playing solo throughout this disc, he often takes the melody and then embellishes by weaving different lines around the central theme. Speed keeps each piece pretty short, mostly under 4 minutes each. Two highlights include "Miss Ann" by Eric Dolphy (from the first jazz record I ever bought in late 1972) and Julius Hemphill's "Rites" (from his classic
'Dogon A.D.' album). Each piece seems to tell a different story or at least set a different scene or vibe. What I find most interesting here is the way all of these songs fit together into a suite-like connection. Speed plays what sounds like an older classical piece called, "La Rosita Arribena", which brings this disc into another related world. I can't recall very many covers of John Coltrane's "Sun Ship" but we do get a spirited version on this disc.
The last piece is called, "It Should've Happened Long Ago" by Paul Motian.
The piece is rather solemn and a nice way to bring this mighty fine disc to an end.

Reviews in Other Languages

P
Peter Margasak

Chamber Music Magazine

G
Georges Tonla Briquet
Jazz Halo

Op zijn beurt maakte Chris Speed gebruik van de lockdown om een soloplaat op te nemen. Niets bijzonders, alleen speelt hij klarinet, een niet zo evidente keuze.
Naast eigen (geïmproviseerd) materiaal ging hij tevens aan het werk met composities van onder meer Ornette Coleman, Julius Hemphill, Eric Dolphy en zelfs Andrew D’Angelo.
Het klankenpalet varieert ten slotte van repetitieve clusters à la Philip Glass (‘Koyaanisqatsi’) tot rondtollende dervish-momenten en folk met Indonesische inslag (zoals in ‘Light Line’ waarin de klarinet bijna als een fluit klinkt). Enkele malen duiken sterke bindingen met de natuur op zonder te vervallen in new age (‘Cat Heaven’). Soms lijkt het of Speed steeds terugkeert naar hetzelfde beginpunt maar hij kiest wel telkens opnieuw voor een andere richting en wil daarbij alsmaar verder en hoger. Natuurlijk ontbreekt het klassieke tintje niet, al dan niet verscholen tussen speelse toonladders. Enkel in de afsluiter (Paul Motian’s ‘It Should Have Happened A Long Time Ago’) is er wat overdub om een drone-effect toe te voegen.
Zeker geen “musician’s musician” aanpak maar wel een ontluisterende zelfreflectie van deze topmuzikant.

https://www.jazzhalo.be/reviews/cdlpk7-reviews/various/vier-maal-solo/?fbclid=IwAR2nwN019B9dfw8muPET_Yom2PPphSi_FuVzb-kCNLBBnBwFVdLiuL94xaQ

J
Jan Kobrzinowski
Jazzthetik Magazin

Ein Klarinetten-Soloalbum? Ja, aber gleich vorweg: Zum Hören braucht es eventuell den Führerschein zum Advanced Music Listening. Für diejeni-gen, die sich Zeit für die knochentrocken aufgenommene Session Light Line des Klarinette spielenden Saxofonisten Chris Speed nehmen, entpuppt sich das Album aber als kleine Sensation. Prominent erklärt Contemporary-Clarinet-Kollege Anthony Burr in den Liner Notes die Melodie zum Primat der Musik. Das stimmt allerdings nur zur Hälfte, denn da ist ja auch noch der Rhythmus, und dessen Gesetze beherrscht der Klarinettist Speed, zu erleben in vielen der mit profunder Atemtechnik vorgetragenen minimalistischen Solostück-chen. Davon zeugen der atemberaubende Fluss der Arpeg-gien in „Drifting", das 12-tönig hüpfende „Sphasos Triem" (eine Komposition des Weggefährten Andrew d'Angelo) und, auf völlig andere Weise, das volkstümlich klingende „La Rosita Arribeña".
. Außer
eigenen Kompositionen und kurzen Improvisationen steuert Chris Speed mit „Miss Ann" eine Hommage an Eric Dolphy bei, huldigt Julius Hemphill mit dessen „Rites" und betreibt Avantgarde-Traditionspflege mit Ornettes „Enfant" sowie Coltranes „Sun Ship". Und bei all diesen Eskapaden scheint die volle Konzentration des Musikers auf sein schwieriges Soloinstrument irgendwie auf Zuhörer*innen überzusprin-gen.

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