Loz Speyer’s music is a combination of a playful, subversive spirit and a melodic rhythmic sense deep enough to draw people in. Loz Speyer’s music covers a wide range of musical styles, but with a strong focus on jazz. He has performed with Yann Tiersen (la Route du Rock festival 2010, Test Department (ICA 1991), Brian Abrahams and Tony Bianco (tournament and debut CD with Loz Speyer Quartet), Clifford Jarvis and Clifford Jarvis), Clifford Jarvis and Sarah Jane Morris (with Happy End 1980s and her band 2012 at Purcell Room ),…) and Trio Acorde (pianist, now with Eliades Ochoa Chepin-Choven), Trio Acorde (pianist, Marcos Fernandez, Fernandez, now with Eliades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoa), Trio Acorde (pianist with Marcos Fernandez, now with pianist with Eliades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoa), Trio Acorde (pianist with Marcos Fernandez), Trio Acorde (pianist with Eliades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoades Ochoa), Trio Acorde (pianist). Speyer is perhaps best known for his bands Time Zone with Martin Hathaway, Stuart Hall, etc. and Inner Space Music with Chris Biscoe and Rachel Musson. He has also been composing and leading both of these groups since 2003. Each band has released two albums and toured the UK. Time Zone performed a week at Ronnie Scotts with Airto Moreira and has toured extensively. Speyer spent extended periods in Santiago de Cuba studying percussion and recording and transcribing. He also worked with local Son bands. He recorded three Time Zone songs with a Cuban band in 2005. One of these pieces was later released on the Babel label compilation Now’s the Time II. His collaboration with Rafael Cisneros, master percussionist, resulted in the CD Roots en Route – Raices en Viaje, which was released by Spherical Records in 2010. Speyer returned to his small-group jazz roots and formed and renamed the Loz Speyer Quartet with Kristian Borring, an Austrian guitarist. They play a mixture of Thelonious monk’s music as well as his own compositions. Loz was also a composer for larger ensembles. He was the founder of the Rare Mix (12-piece) (1995-2000), which featured the unique combination of Jason Yarde and Brian Abrahams, as well as Ben Davis, Martin Hathaway (with Austrian guitarist Kristian Borring), playing a mix of Thelonious Monk’s music and his own compositions. Rare Mix released an album called Everything is Possible in 2000. Loz Speyer’s arrangements for big bands were recorded and performed by the Guildhall School of Music, Morley College and Rare Mix. Clifford Jarvis’ extended arrangement for Octet of the Bastille Concerto was the centerpiece of the Spitz memorial concert in his memory. His passion for teaching ranges from small-group trumpet lessons to whole-class band workshops with Haringey schoolchildren, to leading workshops and rehearsing original compositions with Guildhall School of Music diploma students. From www.lozspeyer.com
