Chris Speed
Encyclopedia
Chris Speed is an American
saxophonist
, clarinet
ist, and composer.
He studied classical piano
from the age of five, and began clarinet
at eleven. In high school he took up the tenor saxophone
and began studying jazz. He later attended the New England Conservatory of Music
in Boston
.
Speed has lived in New York City
since 1992.
He leads or co-leads the groups Pachora (with Jim Black
, Skúli Sverrisson
, and Brad Shepik); Human Feel (with Andrew D'Angelo, Black, and Kurt Rosenwinkel
); yeah NO (with Black, Sverrisson, and Cuong Vu
); and Trio Iffy (with Ben Perowsky
and Jamie Saft
). The latter two groups predominantly feature Speed's compositions.
Well-known avant-jazz groups Speed has performed with are Tim Berne
's Bloodcount (with Berne, Jim Black, Michael Formanek
, and sometimes Marc Ducret
); The Claudia Quintet
(with John Hollenbeck, Matt Moran
, Ted Reichman and Drew Gress
); Jim Black
's Alasnoaxis (with Black, Sverrisson, and Hilmar Jensson); and The Clarinets (with Oscar Noriega and Anthony Burr).
Chris Speed performed on the Grammy-nominated album A Blessing, by the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble; and with Pachora contributed the track "Tirzah" to the Masada
tribute album Voices in the Wilderness.
He has also performed and/or recorded with Myra Melford
, Mark Dresser
, Susie Ibarra
, Erik Friedlander
, Satoko Fujii
, Hank Roberts
, and Dave Douglas
. He has appeared on about 70-80 recordings since 1990.
In 2006, Speed helped create Skirl Records
, an independent record label that is described as "an artist-run collective documenting work by a Brooklyn
-centered community of musicians channeling a vast array of ideas and experience into new music." Speed appeared on two of Skirl's initial releases (The Clarinets' self-titled disc and Curtis Hasselbring's The New Mellow Edwards).
with Pachora:
with Human Feel
:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
ist, and composer.
He studied classical piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
from the age of five, and began clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
at eleven. In high school he took up the tenor saxophone
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and began studying jazz. He later attended the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Speed has lived in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since 1992.
He leads or co-leads the groups Pachora (with Jim Black
Jim Black
Jim Black is a jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas, among others. He attended Berklee College of Music....
, Skúli Sverrisson
Skúli Sverrisson
Skúli Sverrisson is an Icelandic composer and bassist residing in New York City.Over the past two decades, bass guitarist-composer Skuli Sverrisson has worked with a veritable who’s who of the experimental world, from free jazz legends to music icons Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an...
, and Brad Shepik); Human Feel (with Andrew D'Angelo, Black, and Kurt Rosenwinkel
Kurt Rosenwinkel
Kurt Rosenwinkel is an American jazz guitarist and keyboardist who came to prominence in the 1990s.-Biography:He attended the Berklee School of Music for two and a half years before leaving in his junior year to tour with Gary Burton, the dean of the school at the time...
); yeah NO (with Black, Sverrisson, and Cuong Vu
Cuong Vu
is a jazz trumpeter and vocalist.Born in Saigon, he left Vietnam with his family at the age of five in 1975, settling in Bellevue, Washington...
); and Trio Iffy (with Ben Perowsky
Ben Perowsky
Ben Perowsky is a New York City based drummer, percussionist, composer, arranger and record producer.-Biography:Exposed early on to jazz from his parents, Frank and Ginger Perowsky, and teacher Bobby Thomas, as well as rock and roll from his older brother Ricky, Ben watched the great musicians...
and Jamie Saft
Jamie Saft
Jamie Saft is a keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist, composer, sound engineer and producer living in upstate NY. Saft was born in Flushing Queens, New York in 1971 and is a graduate of both Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music. He has performed and recorded with John Zorn,...
). The latter two groups predominantly feature Speed's compositions.
Well-known avant-jazz groups Speed has performed with are Tim Berne
Tim Berne
Tim Berne is an American jazz saxophone player and composer.Described by critic Thom Jurek as commanding "considerable power as a composer and ... frighteningly deft ability as a soloist," Berne has composed and performed prolifically since the 1980s...
's Bloodcount (with Berne, Jim Black, Michael Formanek
Michael Formanek
Michael Formanek is an American jazz bassist born in San Francisco, California and associated with the jazz scene in New York City....
, and sometimes Marc Ducret
Marc Ducret
Marc Ducret is a jazz, and avant garde, guitarist, self-taught, who is most well known for his work with saxophonist Tim Berne.-Selected discography:As leader2011 Tower, vol.2...
); The Claudia Quintet
The Claudia Quintet
The Claudia Quintet is an "eclectic post-jazz" ensemble formed by drummer and composer John Hollenbeck.-Personnel:*Drew Gress – double bass*John Hollenbeck – drums, percussion, composition*Matt Moran – vibraphone*Ted Reichman – accordion...
(with John Hollenbeck, Matt Moran
Matt Moran
Matthew Moran,commonly known as Matt Moran, is an Australian chef also known for being a guest on various TV cooking shows.- Early childhood and education :...
, Ted Reichman and Drew Gress
Drew Gress
Drew Gress is an American jazz double-bassist and composer born in Trenton, New Jersey, raised in the Philadelphia area, and currently based in New York City.-Biography:...
); Jim Black
Jim Black
Jim Black is a jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas, among others. He attended Berklee College of Music....
's Alasnoaxis (with Black, Sverrisson, and Hilmar Jensson); and The Clarinets (with Oscar Noriega and Anthony Burr).
Chris Speed performed on the Grammy-nominated album A Blessing, by the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble; and with Pachora contributed the track "Tirzah" to the Masada
Masada
Masada is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel, on top of an isolated rock plateau, or horst, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Masada is best known for the violence that occurred there in the first century CE...
tribute album Voices in the Wilderness.
He has also performed and/or recorded with Myra Melford
Myra Melford
Myra Melford is a jazz pianist and composer. In recent years, Melford has begun playing the harmonium as well as piano.Melford grew up in the Chicago area...
, Mark Dresser
Mark Dresser
Mark Dresser is an American double bass player and composer.-Biography:He has performed and recorded with many of the luminaries of "new" jazz composition and improvisation. For ten years he performed with the Anthony Braxton Quartet, as well as diverse groups led by Ray Anderson, Tim Berne,...
, Susie Ibarra
Susie Ibarra
Susie Ibarra is a Contemporary Composer and Percussionist who has worked and recorded with jazz, classical, world, and Indigenous musicians. She is known for her work as a performer in avant-garde, jazz, world and new music...
, Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander
Erik Friedlander is an American cellist and composer based in New York City.A veteran of NYC's experimental downtown scene, Friedlander has worked in many contexts, but is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with saxophonist/composer John Zorn...
, Satoko Fujii
Satoko Fujii
is a Japanese avant-garde jazz pianist and composer. Fujii started playing the piano at age 4, receiving classical training until she was 20, when she became interested in improvisation and jazz....
, Hank Roberts
Hank Roberts
Hank Roberts is an American jazz cellist and vocalist. He plays the electric cello, and his style is a mixture of rock, jazz, avant garde, folk and classical influences...
, and Dave Douglas
Dave Douglas (trumpeter)
Dave Douglas is an American jazz trumpeter and composer whose music derives from many non-jazz musical styles, including classical music, folk music from European countries and Klezmer. He has been a member of the experimental big band Orange Then Blue...
. He has appeared on about 70-80 recordings since 1990.
In 2006, Speed helped create Skirl Records
Skirl Records
Skirl Records is an American record label, focusing on improvised music, run by the artists. It was started in 2006 by Chris Speed, among others...
, an independent record label that is described as "an artist-run collective documenting work by a Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
-centered community of musicians channeling a vast array of ideas and experience into new music." Speed appeared on two of Skirl's initial releases (The Clarinets' self-titled disc and Curtis Hasselbring's The New Mellow Edwards).
Discography
As a leader:- 1997 - Yeah No (Songlines)
- 1999 - Deviantics (Songlines)
- 2000 - Trio Iffy (Knitting Factory Records)
- 2000 - Emit (Songlines)
- 2004 - Swell Henry (Squealer)
- 2006 - The Clarinets (Skirl)
with Pachora:
- 1997 - Pachora (Knitting Factory Records)
- 1999 - Unn (Knitting Factory Records)
- 2000 - Ast (Knitting Factory Records)
- 2003 - Astereotypical (Winter & Winter)
with Human Feel
Human Feel
Human Feel is a collaborative jazz quartet that consists of clarinet/tenor saxophone player Chris Speed, bass clarinet/alto saxophone player Andrew D'Angelo, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and drummer Jim Black...
:
- 1989 - Human Feel (Human Use)
- 1992 - Scatter (GM Recordings)
- 1994 - Welcome to Malpesta (New World)
- 1996 - Speak to It (Songlines)
- 2007 - Galore (Skirl)