Martin Speake and Will Butterworth

A welcome return to Ashburton for Martin Speake, London based master of jazz saxophone and renowned teacher, in duo with jazz pianist Will Butterworth. Original music by Martin, a premiere by Eddie McGuire, plus standards and improvisations will set the scene! Eddie's new piece is Rhapsody for Dave in memory of Dave Blundell, a long time friend they had in common. Martin has toured to major jazz festivals, performed with leading jazz soloists and recorded 30 albums including Change of Heart on the ECM label.

Endlessly creative - expect beautiful melodies and edgy improvisation.
Gershwin's Embraceable You on YouTube

In 2024 Martin and Will released their duo album 'Love and Freedom' to excellent reviews.
"The result is an impressive piece of work which at times reminds me of the open-ended sessions that Peter Ind did with various musicians, and occasionally there’s a hint of Lee Konitz in Speake’s playing, at other times a solidity akin to Anthony Braxton. Each track is delineated by natural pauses, when each finishes what they were saying, when the conversation comes to a halt. It flows easily, rhythmically, the two showing great empathy and understanding, intuitively responding to each other." Mathew Wright Jazz journal

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