Tenor sax/clarinetist Speed combines hyper beats and ambient textures with eastern-inspired melodies and rhythms to expand and derange the realm of NY’s Downtown Jazz/New Music. With the same remarkable band as on his debut Yeah No (SGL 1517-2) – Cuong Vu (trumpet), Skuli Sverrisson (electric bass), and Jim Black (drums) – this is a jazz record of unusual power, concentration and feeling. Speed is well known for his recordings with various Downtown stars: John Zorn, Dave Douglas, Tim Berne, Myra Melford, Mark Dresser, etc. His Balkan/middle-eastern folk jazz group Pachora (also featuring Black and Sverrisson, along with Brad Shepik) has two very well-received CDs out on Knitting Factory. (Audiophile-quality 20-bit recording by Jim Anderson.)
