Bernadette Speach - Without Borders (1988)

Bernadette Speach, a Morton Feldman protégé, often captures the suspended dynamism and coloristic vision of her mentor, but the work is further infused with her own considerable musical personality. Her music fuses many influences―the gentleness and spareseness of Feldman with the sound of modern jazz. This CD showcases all sides of her compositional talent, including the "cool" Telepathy: Poetry/Music Suite to texts by Thulani Davis (who wrote the libretto for Anthony Davis' opera on Malcolm X, X). Davis appears here to recite her own words against an ensemble of New York's leading jazz musicians. Composer supervised.

Tracklist

1. Moto (1982) 7:18

The Bowery Ensemble: Leonard Krech, trombone. Michael Pugliese, percussion. Nils Vigeland, piano.

2. Pensées (1983) 9:10

Jeffrey Schanzer, guitar.

3. Trajet (1983) 8:32

Leonard Krech, trombone.
Jan Williams, percussion.

4. Sonata (1986) 12:12

Anthony de Mare, piano.

5. Shattered Glass (1987) 7:21

Michael Pugliese, percussion.

6. Telepathy: Poetry/Music Suite (1987) 12:38

I. "Contessas & Cardsharks"
II. "Telepathy"
III. "Boppin' is Safer than Grindin'"

Thulani Davis, reciter
Lindsay Horner, contrabass
Jeffrey Hoyer, trombone
Oliver Lake, alto sax
Myra Melford, piano
Jeffrey Schanzer, guitar
Bernadette Speach, piano

Mode Records: mode 16