If you don’t know my recent horrendous cancel culture story which began in February 2024 and resulted in everything I loved being taken for me, I suggest reading my post on Graham Linehan’s Substack first. Here it is. Unfortunately that is not the end of the story.
Saxophonist, friend and supporter of free speech Tim Whitehead, knowing what I was going through with my total loss of teaching and performing opportunities, asked me to do a gig with him and other friends and supporters, bassist Davide Mantovani and drummer Paul Cavaciuti. This was on July 27th 2025 at the Turk’s Head in Twickenham where Way Out West (WOW), a jazz musicians co-operative, had been performing monthly with different musicians. Tim was given that date to book a band of his choice. Once members knew he had booked me to play with him and Tim had emailed his personal mailing list notifying the WOW gig with me and expressing his opinion about how badly I had been treated by the jazz scene in the UK and how important free speech is, several WOW members did not want to be associated with the organisation any more. These people are pianist Kate Williams, singer Emily Saunders, saxophonist Chris Biscoe and pianist Tom Millar, all of whom I know, two I had taught and I had always got on with all four. However, as most know now, fear is ruling everything, so it seems to keep their fragile status on the UK jazz scene and, in two cases, their teaching posts, they had to be seen not to be supporting me in any way, so they left WOW. The gig went ahead and I had a lovely playing experience with great friends and musicians. However nobody is calling these people out for their behaviour towards me and free speech.
A more recent and even sadder event took place from another collective of musicians. I had been a member of the London Jazz Orchestra (LJO) for 18 years as lead alto saxophonist. We played once a month at the Vortex and it was a project I was very committed to even though there was no payment apart from the very occasional concert away from the Vortex. I put a lot of years and time into this group; it was a high level of playing with creative original music and it also performed some of my compositions. When my Trinity Laban case became public in March 2024, Noel Langley, the joint leader of LJO, told me to temporarily step down from the band and “see it as a time of growth”. It took two and a half years but LJO officially fired me on May 30th 2026, when trumpeter Henry Lowther called me to tell me the news. No real reason was given apart from that certain members of the band can’t work with me and would leave if I was in it. Tori Freestone is particularly vocal about being against me, I have been told, but I can’t find out who else has a problem with me and for what actual reason. This whole endless saga is about me disagreeing with Trinity Laban’s BLM-inspired diversity action plan and asking for a discussion about it. Anybody familiar with the tactics of the cancel culture brigade will know that any discussion of issues or nuance never takes place and that has been my experience over the last two and a half years. Firstly with Trinity Laban, where the case originated, and more recently with LJO.
I sent this email to the 18 members of LJO on February 22nd 2026 and nobody replied, even to say they had received it.
Dear LJO
Firstly I’d like to apologise for not making contact with you sooner, I consider you all to be my friends and respected colleagues and I’d have loved to be able to discuss any issues with you immediately. Now that there is a legal resolution, I can.
I feel that my email, which was never intended for anyone other than the principal, has been misunderstood. Perhaps I expressed myself poorly at times and emotionally, and created a wrong impression. I’m very sorry for this. I’ve spoken to Scott, who suggested that I needed to specifically clarify two main issues.
As you know, the case of my email response to the Trinity Laban Principal regarding his BLM/Diversity action plan, when he asked for staff and student feedback, has had wider ramifications on the jazz scene and particularly on my life, due to students releasing it on social media. I lost everything, teaching at three colleges, gigs, the ability to earn a living and playing in LJO – a band that I have been in for 18 years and felt very much part of the community.
Due to my legal case against TL for employment discrimination and constructive dismissal I was advised not to make any public statements until now, as the case is resolved. Included in that loss that I mentioned was the loss of me playing with you, an experience I looked forward to each month.
Scott has suggested that members of LJO need some clarification and I am happy to talk to any of you in person or on the phone to clear up any misunderstandings.I would like to try to address two main issues that Scott suggested may need clarification. My email was not intended for public release, that was done by students, but for a discussion primarily with the principal and then broadened out to the jazz course and other colleagues. It was an email to generate a different view and discussion with the principal.
Firstly, the names of the black musicians that I mentioned being relatively successful on our scene were there to counter the TL principals’ assertion there is “systemic inequality” at TL and in the wider world. He meant the institution and I broadened it out to the jazz scene as a whole, something I have been involved in for over 40 years. I was suggesting that black musicians are not ignored and are very well represented on the scene. I don’t begrudge these musicians any success, several of whom are my friends, and I am not saying they are in those positions because they are black, but just to suggest they are not under-represented on the scene.
The other point Scott mentioned was regarding me sharing the email with a student. TL had asked students and staff for feedback on the BLM/Diversity action plan.This student, a third year saxophone player, probably 21 years old at the time, was somebody I often chatted to about all kinds of things in the courtyard or café or when I saw him. He is well read and fascinated by a lot of subjects and had a certain amount of maturity. I did not teach him one-to-one but in ensembles or classes over the years. I saw no problem discussing ‘race’ and jazz with him. He was also asked by TL to feedback on BLM/Diversity action plan, as were all students.
Everybody seems to know what happened next and I could say in hindsight it was not necessarily a sensible thing to share the email with a student. I was hoping, naïvely it seems, for a serious open discussion with the principal primarily, but I believe how TL reacted to the situation was inflammatory to say the least. The two students involved wanted to resolve it by meeting with me but TL prevented this. If that had been allowed to happen the whole issue would not have reached the wider world.
I hope you can understand where I am coming from. I would love to continue playing in LJO now the case has been legally resolved.
Also maybe you need to know I was arrested protesting against the racist National Front rally in Wood Green when I was a teenager and around the same time was very active against racism and daubed NF=Nazi on my old school playground wall and pavilion in my local park. I don’t necessarily recommend doing this but just showing you from a young age I have been staunchly anti-racist.
I hope I can be back playing music with you all soon.
Peace
Martin
No response seems to say to me that they all too scared to step out of line for fear of being ostracised by the rest. Society everywhere I look now is run by groupthink.
Ninety-five students boycotting my lessons at TL, which is what happened in 2024, can’t all think the same, but not one stepped out of line. Then the 18 ‘adults’ in LJO do the same thing. Those 18 do not all think the same but once again not one stands up against discrimination. Knowing I had everything taken away from me and the huge loss of work at TL, GSMD and RAM they decided to stick the knife in to take away my one remaining regular playing situation.
Scott Stroman, the joint leader of LJO, is supportive of me and I suggested why don’t LJO take a vote on whether they want me in or out as a member, but he wouldn’t do this. So the result is a minority say they will leave the band and the others go along with this as they don’t want the disruption of finding new members if they leave, so better that I am not in it. I have been very naïve thinking jazz was all about freedom of expression and a supportive community. I mentioned the elephant in the room: that black musicians are not discriminated against on the UK jazz scene.
Martin Speake is a saxophonist, composer and improviser. Previously, he was a jazz educator but was ‘cancelled’ for questioning DEI, BLM and “systemic inequality” at Trinity Laban Conservatoire. This articles was first published on his Substack page.
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Martin has a number of CDs available on amazon
Martin will be playing at the Soho Pizza Express on the 13h July in the evening.
https://www.pizzaexpresslive.com/whats-on/martin-speakes-charukesi
So sad to read about this, my husband must be spinning in his grave. A musician all his life, he said music, and particularly jazz, was colour blind. You booked the best player for the gig; skin tone was totally irrelevant. One of his early mentors, a lovely big Jamaican guy, was affectionately called his Jazz Dad. I don’t doubt he’ll be performing triple salcos too. Shame on the people involved.
I know it sounds harsh, but truly you’re better off without these people Martin. It sounds like you’d be walking on eggshells if you associate with them in future.
If I were ever to meet any of them I’d tell them to their faces exactly what I think of them, and damn the torpedoes.
Advertise that you’re looking for sensible musicians to work with and teach and see who is prepared to put their head above the parapet.
Not sure what the Trinity Laban Conservatoire is, but I certainly won’t be giving them any of my money in future either. I won’t support any of the trendy Leftwaffe.
Trinity College of Music is one of the four music colleges in London – Royal College of Music, Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity. There is also a smaller London College of Music.
That the idea that there is discrimination against black people in the jazz music scene isn’t met with anything but laughter just goes to show how unravelled the human mind can get. Next they’ll be claiming there is discrimination against black people in hip hop or in American basketball.
In any case, this is a perfect little portrait of how nasty and vicious the woke movement is and how it quietly corrodes corners of daily life that most of us aren’t even aware of. There is probably loads more of this going on.
Noel Langley, the joint leader of LJO, told me to temporarily step down from the band and “see it as a time of growth”
What a weasel. Either you think this bloke has horrid nasty views in which case say so, or admit that you don’t have the balls or the energy to take on the fascists in the group. Either way, just be honest.
Didn’t all of this come about because Martin was asked if he thought jazz was institutionally racist and being a based kinda guy he said ”no”, and then everybody collectively shat the bed because he’d given a truthful answer as opposed to the answer they wanted ( because ‘white guilt’+”The Madness of Crowds” ), if I remember rightly from his previous article featured here?
This piece involves a few different themes, inc: Woke ( namely Critical Social Justice ), freedom of speech and group conformity. I feel compelled to re-share J.K: another based, wise and ballsy person, because I think ( based on my own experience ) that there are more free speech frauds than genuine free speech proponents. They only seem to care about free speech when they get to say what they want, but they’re none too keen when confronted with somebody with opposing views;
”If you believe free speech is for you but not your political opponents, you’re illiberal.
If no contrary evidence could change your beliefs, you’re a fundamentalist.
If you believe the state should punish those with contrary views, you’re a totalitarian.
If you believe political opponents should be punished with violence… Read more »
Very true, I never mind other people saying what they think because it allows me to decide whether they’re right or not.
Yes, but remember: oftentimes it’s not about a person being right or wrong. It’s just that they have a different opinion to you. Diversity of viewpoints should be welcomed ( in an environment which truly supports free speech ) and a divergence of views within groups is perfectly normal. The problem is when any deviation is met with intolerance and hostility. A lack of reciprocity means there can be no genuine free speech, only speech which meets with the approval of the majority. It’s a very common group dynamic and, hence, why I say there are more frauds than genuine proponents in reality, because so many lack the ability to be consistent. The old ”I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” well and truly leaves the building!
For many, free speech is a veneer or a disguise: a costume they put on and remove when it suits. The article above speaks to this and people’s behaviour on here regularly demonstrates and supports this. A group of people literally become ‘the Borg’, and dissenters be damned;
”Ninety-five students boycotting my lessons at TL, which is what happened in 2024, can’t… Read more »
When I said right or wrong I mean in my own opinion, I’m not someone who wants universal agreement about everything.
Can I recommend Gad Saad’s latest book Suicidal Empathy.