Andrew Speight’s Bebop Night
Andrew Speight, alto saxophone; Theo Croker, trumpet; Matt Clark, piano; Eugene Warren, bass; Jaz Sawyer, drums

Wednesday, July 23 | 7:30 pm | Campbell Recital Hall
Tickets: $20 general | $10 students

Online:
By phone: 650.725.ARTS (2787); In Person: Stanford Ticket Office
For more information, go to our Ticketing Information Page

Program Notes

“Andrew Speight, a clear-toned hard driving alto saxophonist known for his incendiary bebop lines.” – AllAboutJazz

Bebop is the ultimate musical thrill ride. Inspired by the melodic genius of Charlie Parker, the wit and brilliance of Dizzy Gillespie, and the iconoclastic individuality of Thelonious Monk, the bop revolution rewrote the rules of jazz and spurred musicians on to incredible feats of virtuosity and creativity. A bebop soloist must think on his feet, carving improvisational art out of the surging energy of a blistering tempo and sophisticated harmony, and when it’s done right, it’s breathtaking. Alto saxophonist Andrew Speight can bop with the best of them. Growing up in Sydney, Australia, his early exposure to jazz came from his father, a pianist who often accompanied touring American jazz artists and instilled in him a deep love of straight-ahead jazz. Speight has worked with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Milt Hinton, Branford Marsalis, Jimmy Cobb, and countless others in performances all over the world. These days, he is an invaluable asset to the Bay Area jazz scene and a lecturer at San Francisco State University.

Andrew Speight web site

Q&A with Andrew Speight

What is the first recording you remember hearing as a child?
As a child I think it was Kind of Blue, that’s the first jazz recording I guess...and I remember Peter and the Wolf by Leonard Bernstein, his version cause that played around the house, but Kind of Blue was my bedtime stuff, was played when I was put to bed for as long as I can remember, when I was three or four years old.

Who is your favorite jazz musician under the age of 30?
Clifford Brown, Fats Navarro, Booker Little – all trumpeters who died in their twenties – they never even made it to 30, but were very mature in their earlier playing. This music is about maturity, and a lot of players from the early days made a good contribution while still in their twenties, whereas most players today are only getting things together in their thirties or later.

What is the strangest experience you’ve ever had on the bandstand?
Well that is a rough one, just because when I was growing up I played a lot of what we call floor shows. Some of the floor shows were pretty strange because there would be jugglers, or fireeaters and all of those kind of things.

What is your favorite food?
All food is good food, I like food! I like to eat a lot! San Francisco, Sydney all have great food.

What’s the last book you’ve read?
I read a lot of stuff actually, but it’s all instructional manuals, things that are necessary to day-to-day tasks. What’s the last thing I read for fun? I don’t know. I need to read more. I used to read a lot.

If you could play with any other musician, living or dead (with whom you have not played), who would it be and why?
I’ve played with a lot of great musicians already, so I’m happy about that, but would of course like to play with the legendary ones just for the fun of it. The pinnacle would be the jazz geniuses, Bird & Louis; after that, any of those guys we love, great names like Coltrane and Miles. I also like the guys I play with regularly, the Generations Band - Ronnie Mathews, Eric Alexander (Ronnie just passed unfortunately a couple of weeks ago). I definitely like working with Jimmy Cobb a lot, one of my favorite drummers – it’s all good fun!

What’s your favorite thing about being a Stanford Jazz Workshop faculty member?
Faculty breakfast: Sunday morning breakfast with bagels and donuts!

What’s your favorite jazz venue?
Small clubs – I like playing in small jazz clubs where you can play acoustically, though anywhere that anyone wants to listen to this music is good.

Who is your greatest musical influence?
Too many…that’s a good question, and a tough one! Early on, my father’s influence was big - he was a piano player. Also Benny Carter, who was a big influence and a mentor to me. Lots of different people influenced the way I think about music.

If you were stranded on a desert island and could only have three recordings with you, what would they be?
Charlie Parker Jam Sessions, 1952 (lot of great musicians on that one); Miles & Coltrane, Live in Berlin (lot of great musicians on that one too) and, for something light and carefree, Bossa Nova with Cannonball Adderley. Perfect. Is it a deserted island or a desert island? If it’s a desert island, need to bring some liquid so as not to get dehydrated. (Editor’s note: the reference to Live in Berlin is not to the Miles record with Wayne Shorter, but to an earlier vinyl recording that is currently out-of-print.)

What hobbies do you have?
I used to sail a lot, used to play golf a lot. Don’t do much of either now, don’t have the time!

If you were to describe your music as a color, what color would it be and why?
Red, fiery, lively, hot, all those things - passionate, that’s what music is. It’s gotta reach somebody!