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Native Speaker is the eighth album by bassist Mark Saltman and pianist William Knowles, who together compose and arrange new music for their jazz quintet SaltmanKnowles. The concept of Native Speaker is to celebrate the African American artform of jazz and to present a manifesto of inclusion that is needed more urgently than ever. As the duo puts it in the album booklet: “whether you are a ‘Native Speaker’ of my language or not, you're welcome here. You’re welcome in my country, my land, my music, my clothes, my home, our dreams and in our art. We wouldn’t want it any other way.” Based in Washington, DC, the SaltmanKnowles ensemble plays a combination of primarily original music and standards, as well as original arrangements of a few pop tunes. On Native Speaker we hear their interpretations of David Bowie’s 'Space Oddity', 'Sweet Dreams' by Eurythmics and 'Everybody Wants to Rule the World' by Tears for Fears. These are heard alongside original numbers by Saltman and Knowles. From Saltman we hear 'Dororo', inspired by Japanese animé; 'Lotus and Frog' based on the lotus, the Chinese symbol for renewal, and the observant frog that sits nearby; and 'The Gentle Art of Compassion', a call for sensitivity to others. Knowles offers tributes to two of his favourite people: 'Nate’s Advice' was given over leisurely drinks at a cabaret bar, and 'Ruben' is about one of Knowles’s most admired Black heroes, his brother. The album’s eponymous track is also by Knowles and is a blues number that presents a philosophical pathway through life’s many ups and downs.