Martin Speake Secret Quartet: Bloor Street

This is the occasional but intimate partnership – first explored on disc on 2002's Secret – between alto saxophonist Martin Speake, pianist Nikki Iles, bassist Duncan Hopkins and drummer Anthony Michelli. The quality of the compositions, the incisiveness of the soloing and the collective spirit of the enterprise make this a better album than its predecessor. Hopkins's seamless countermelodic flow beneath Speake and Iles is reminiscent of the late Bill Evans sideman Scott La Faro on the opening Time to Evolve, and (like much of the material on the album) this theme has an intricacy that nevertheless sounds unforced. Unit Six is a Lennie Tristano-like bop labyrinth that Speake develops with patient precision over Hopkins's walk, and the stuttery closing Ants fascinatingly intertwines short sax and piano figures over drum tattoos that turn funky. Iles's soft touch and Hopkins's rounded tone combine sublimely on the lilting Moonbeam. The only downside is that this foursome has such rare meetings.