Chris Speed


Chris Speed is an American saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.
WWW chrisspeed.comIG chrisspeed11THR chrisspeed11

Early life and career

Speed grew up outside of Seattle and studied classical piano and clarinet from an early age. He later began studying jazz, took up the tenor saxophone, and performed in a local big band while in high school.
Speed attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he founded Human Feel with Andrew D'Angelo, Jim Black, and Kurt Rosenwinkel; the band continued performing after his move to New York.
Speed leads or co-leads the groups Pachora, The Clarinets, yeah NO, Trio Iffy, Endangered Blood, the Chris Speed Trio and Broken Shadows a band dedicated to reinterpreting the music of Ornette Coleman and Julius Hemphill.
The co-led quartet Pachora was influenced by Balkan and Middle Eastern rhythms and said to be "immersed in Eastern European and Moroccan music", performing originals and Greek, Bulgarian and Turkish works. Speed also performed and recorded with the Balkan brass and jazz band Slavic Soul Party!.
Speed is a founding member of the avant-garde jazz groups Bloodcount, The Claudia Quintet, AlasNoAxis, and Heroic Frenzies.
In 2006, Speed created Skirl Records, a label dedicated to Brooklyn-based creative music.
In August 2021, Speed joined The Bad Plus. They released an album, entitled simply The Bad Plus, on September 30, 2022.

Awards and honors

  • Rising Star on clarinet, Downbeat magazine, 2004, 2005, 2006
  • NEA composition grant in 1993

Selected discography

As leader/co-leader

Yeah No Deviantics Emit Iffy Swell Henry Really OK Platinum On Tap Respect for Your Toughness Light Line Despite Obstacles
Human Feel

With Kurt Rosenwinkel, Andrew D'Angelo and Jim BlackHuman Feel Scatter Welcome to Malpesta Speak to It Galore Gold
PachoraPachora Unn Ast Astereotypical
The ClarinetsThe Clarinets Keep On Going Like This No Pressure
Endangered BloodEndangered Blood Work Your Magic Don't Freak Out
Zeno De RossiRuins
Broken ShadowsBroken Shadows Broken Shadows Live
The Bad PlusThe Bad Plus.
  • ''Complex Emotions''

as a sideman

with Tim BerneLowlife: The Paris Concert Poisoned Minds: The Paris Concert Memory Select: The Paris Concert Unwound Saturation Point Discretion Seconds Insomnia Attention Spam 5
with Jim BlackAlasNoAxis Splay Habyor Dogs of Great Indifference Houseplant Antiheroes
with The Claudia QuintetJohn Hollenbeck/The Claudia Quintet I, Claudia Semi-Formal For Royal Toast What Is the Beautiful? September Super Petite Evidence Based
with Uri CaineUri Caine Ensemble Plays Mozart The Othello Syndrome Rhapsody in Blue
with Dave KingGood Old Light Adopted Highway Surrounded by the Night Old TV
with Craig TabornDaylight Ghosts Compass Confusion with Junk Magic
with others/selected