Andrew Speight (23 March 1964 – 1 December 2022) was an Australian-born American jazz saxophonist.[1][2][3] His band, the Andrew Speight Quartet, won the 1999 ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album with their self titled album.[4] Speight had previously fronted the jazz quintet Now's the Time.[5][6]
Andrew Speight | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 March 1964 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 1 December 2022 (aged 58) Burlingame, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Instrument | Saxophone |
Biography
editSpeight was originally from Sydney, Australia, where he was able to perform with touring musicians including Benny Carter and Nat Adderley. In the early 1990s, he moved to Michigan to teach jazz studies programs at Michigan State University, and later at San Francisco State University.[7] He was a part of Wynton Marsalis' band for a BBC TV concert in 1993, and later performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center.[8]
Speight was a sideman on the album Marsalis Music Honors Series: Jimmy Cobb (2006),[9] described by All About Jazz as "highly acclaimed."[7] Jazz critic Thom Jurek noted that "Speight in particular shines" during his solo performances on the album.[9]
At the 2011 Stanford Jazz Festival, he performed a recreation of the Bird with Strings album originally recorded by Charlie Parker. Speight was the co-producer of the Manly Jazz Festival in 2007 and subsequent years.[10]
In March 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Speight launched the first of 117 consecutive weekly live sessions streamed to Facebook from bassist Jeff Saxton's residence. As the Live at Five sessions continued, they relocated to Speight's residence in Burlingame, California.[11] The sessions hosted a number of well-regarded guest musicians as well as Speight's students from San Francisco State University.[12] Several sessions were recorded for future release.
Speight was killed in a train accident on 1 December 2022, in Burlingame, California. He was 58.[13]
He is the brother of Peter Speight, a Sydney-based former lawyer.[citation needed]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Andrew Speight Quartet (as Andrew Speight Quartet) |
Awards
editARIA Music Awards
editThe ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Andrew Speight Quartet | Best Jazz Album | Won | [17] |
References
edit- ^ Hildebrand, Lee (10 July 2011), "Sax man Andrew Speight plays 'Bird With Strings'", SFGate
- ^ Weir, Kenny (16 May 1999), "The art of poise", Sunday Herald Sun
- ^ Shand, John (20 May 1997), "Speight Brings Home A White-hot Spate Of Bebop", Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Scatena, Dino (13 October 1999), "Rockers' four ARIA haul worth the wait.", Daily Telegraph
- ^ Brennan, Gail (19 November 1988), "Now's almost the time", Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ Jackson, Adrian (28 December 1998), "Burrows. Jazz no trivial pursuit", BRW
- ^ a b Jazz, All About (31 May 2019). "Andrew Speight music @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz Musicians. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Andrew Speight | Lansing JazzFest". Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b Marsalis Music Honors Series: Jimmy Cobb - Jimmy Cobb | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 11 May 2022
- ^ Hildebrand, Lee (10 July 2011). "Sax man Andrew Speight plays 'Bird With Strings'". SFGATE. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ "Welcome to Burlingame, California". www.burlingame.org. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "Andrew Speight: Looking to Jazz's Past While Preserving Its Future". www.sfcv.org. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
- ^ "Popular Bay Area jazz musician killed after vehicle is struck by two trains". The Mercury News. 2 December 2022. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
- ^ Weir, Kenny (25 October 1998), "QUARTET. Turn it up, sit back and smile.", Sunday Herald Sun
- ^ Gettler, Leon (3 December 1998), "Jazz", The Age
- ^ Clare, John (28 December 1998), "Jazz", Sydney Morning Herald
- ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards Best Jazz Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 25 June 2022.
External links
edit- Andrew Speight discography at Discogs