Speak To It (Remastered)

A critically-praised landmark from the peak of downtown NYC jazz, newly sourced from engineer Joe Marciano’s original ¼” analogue mixes and transparently remastered to 24/192. The energetic performances and emotive compositions, by reeds players Chris Speed and Andrew D’Angelo, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and drummer Jim Black, place this album alongside the finest recordings of the era.
– Mark Werlin, NativeDSD & All About Jazz

Originally released in 1996, the fourth recording by the then Brooklyn-based collective ranges across jazz, improv, and contemporary classical/new music, with a passing nod to the traditions of eastern Europe. As composers, Black, Speed and D’Angelo provide different frameworks for the band’s characteristic, often tensile explorations, heard as well in their atmospheric rendition of the Billie Holiday standard “Left Alone” where they’re joined by vocalist Holly Palmer. The rhythmic feel moves in and out of time (from jazz-rock to free, polyrhythmic and vamp to rubato), while the shifting textural/melodic interplay demonstrates their commitment to collective improvisation. The unedited analog recording vividly preserves the integrity of their playing; this 24/192, 2021 remaster was sourced from the rediscovered analogue mixes.

Human Feel was formed in Boston in 1987, Rosenwinkel joining the group in 1990. At the time Speak to It was released its members were all leading busy musical lives as performers and composers. Jim Black was in Tim Berne’s Bloodcount, Dave Douglas’s Tiny Bell Trio and trios led by Ellery Eskelin and Ben Monder. Chris Speed, whose background is in classical music as well as jazz, was also a member of Bloodcount, as well as Dave Douglas’s Sextet, Myra Melford’s Extended Ensemble, and Erik Friedlander’s Chimera, and he and Black co-led Pachora, a Balkan/near Eastern quartet. Andrew D’Angelo was a member of Chimera, Bobby Previte’s Weather Clear, Track Fast and the Jamie Saft/Cuong Vu band. Kurt Rosenwinkel was leading his own quartet and was in Paul Motian’s Electric Bebop Band.

After a long hiatus Human Feel reunited in 2006 and released Galore on Speed’s label Skirl, and Gold (2019) on Intakt.

Human Feel
Andrew D’Angelo, alto sax, bass clarinet
Chris Speed, tenor sax, clarinet
Kurt Rosenwinkel, guitar
Jim Black, drums
Holly Palmer, voice (6)