Jazz: Loz Speyer’s Inner Space

Acclaimed trumpeter Loz Speyer presents the latest incarnation of his band Inner Space, which includes two sax players who have turned in memorable performances at the club in the past, Dee Byrne on alto and James Allsopp on tenor. Although he lives over the other side of the country, those of you with very long memories will remember drummer Gary Willcox from the band What Four! formed by Jake McMurchie and Jonathan Taylor back in the 90s. Inner Space has been stirring things up lately as a 7-piece playing the music of Sun Ra. Now they return to their home ground as a quintet playing Speyer’s originals, with bassist Josh Vadiveloo and James Allsopp on tenor sax and bass clarinet – “perhaps the most gifted British saxophonist of his generation, not to mention the most adaptable” (Underscore music magazine). A star player in his own right, James also featured in Loz’s earlier Sun Ra project, Arkestration; and this new INNER SPACE line-up is all set to fire up the bandstand with fresh ideas and new directions. “One of the happiest evenings I’ve heard in jazz for many a long night… Music as rare as this defies description. Go along and see them!” – Karl Dallas, the Morning Star Inner Space plays jazz of a rare warmth and immediacy – compositions for improvisers with roots in both jazz and free playing. Speyer’s writing for the band creates space for the group to explore new areas and discover where the music might GO! – with a set of Jazz Portraits that celebrate the innovators of Free Jazz, while drawing deeply on the jazz tradition, back to Bebop and New Orleans. Each piece evolves a life of its own as revealed in the here and NOW by these five distinctive musicians. “something only the best players in this school can bring off consistently … As the CD testifies, it makes their live performance a richly rewarding affair. Hearing them do it again in person shows a band going from strength to strength.” – Jon Turney, UK Jazz News