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09/19/2024

Colin Stetson at Mississippi Studios, 9/10/24 / Review

By MICHAEL "SHOEHORN" CONLEY // Colin Stetson, who has toured as a sideman with some big pop acts such as Arcade Fire, but is also known for his solo sax work, which includes extended techniques and creative miking to get more sound out of his horns, especially the very large, not-so-common bass saxophone in B-flat.

I attended the sold-out show at Mississippi studios by saxophonist Colin Stetson, who has toured as a sideman with some big pop acts such as Arcade Fire, but is also known for his solo sax work, which includes extended techniques and creative miking to get more sound out of his horns, especially the very large, not-so-common bass saxophone in B-flat.

Stetson is known to use contact microphones attached to different parts of the sax to capture the sound of the moving keys for percussive effects, as well as using a mic on his throat to pick up vocal sounds he produces while playing. ( I have tried this, and it is difficult to do anything other than unison to what you are playing. Stetson was singing countermelodies.)

His bass sax had a thick cable snake running from the bow at the bottom of the instrument which sent his sound to processing units off stage. I speculate that he has some customized software applications, perhaps created in Max 8 or a similar program, to enhance and multiply his sonic profile, combining reverb and other filters. He wasn't activating these devices with any pedals, and his performance didn't involve looping as far as I could tell. I found out he had 12 channels of audio going from the stage to his computer in the sound booth. I think one of the pickups might have been triggering a bass drum sample.

But given these considerable electronic enhancements, his main and most essential device is actually organically analog– circular breathing. Circular breathing involves breathing in and out at the same time, and is employed by some wind players to create an unending line or extended passages without taking an audible breath. Stetson used this technique on every number, both on alto and the bass saxes.

Starting off on alto sax, he created a relentless flurry of shimmering notes, producing a pulsing effect and an implied bass line using octave drops or rapid register changes, plus overtones and vocal effects, all enhanced by the electronics. It was an extraordinary display of virtuosity and took the saxophone into realms of expression where it is seldom employed, as with his second number, on the bass instrument, which had an almost demonic death-metal roar, enhanced by images of flames and sparks projected above the dark stage. It was during this number that I was able to snag a seat, as one party of three abruptly left the venue, presumably due to the intensity and relative harshness of this presentation.

As a saxophone player myself who often performs solo, I occasionally emitted a hoarse, knowing laugh, delighting in the audacity and ingenuity of this performer.

Stetson then played a couple of numbers on alto with a lighter mood before continuing on the bass saxophone for the remainder of his show. This musician is as much a performance artist as any solo musician I've seen. He would rock back and forth without making any sound on his horn to begin a piece, subtly setting up the underlying time and breath parameters for each number, and would sway from side to side while playing, especially on the alto.

The aforementioned screen projections were mostly abstract but sometimes included images of a white dove flying, the full moon, glistening ripples of water on the surface of a puddle, hands in silhouette, and cloudy and staticky images, mostly in black and white. Stetson himself was backlit, dressed in form-fitting black clothes, the lighting creating a somewhat eerie aura outlining his shiny head, ears dramatically accented.

Some of the music, or most of it really, had a rather dark undertone to it. At one point I was wondering what he would sound like if he just played some whole notes, because the pulsing cycles of 16th notes were on the brink of causing fatigue.

As if in response to my thoughts, the very next number started out with droning long tones, incredibly long tones with the circular breathing, as he proceeded to stack layers of sound with his vocalizing and key clicks, creating bass drum hits and quarter note triplets at the same time.
There were some passages where Stetson employed some churchy harmonies, albeit abstracted by the sonic mix created by the layered sounds and endless stream of notes.

Stetson introduced his last number saying “It's a slog, but we’ll get through it “ which humorously acknowledged the energy required of the audience to listen to this incredible onslaught of saxophonic prowess. It occurred to me that his lips must be made of leather, if not steel, as he maintained constant contact with the reed for the entire performance.

Though I found he had 12 channels of audio going to his computer, I was unable to ask Stetson about his processing equipment or software because of the length of the line for the merch table. That is something which is nice to see. I went for a walk and came back but it was still backed up, so I had to take my leave.

The show was opened by local duo Methods Body– John Niekrasz (percussion, voice) and Luke Wyland (keys, electronics, voice). They performed an extended suite calling attention to the expression of people who speak with a stutter. It included the sampled voices of multiple speakers. These were utilized in some cases as fixed media and in other cases directly played by the keyboard player as a sound patch.
There were some interesting sentences uttered by the stutterers, including one female voice who said “Because I stuttered when I said my name, that was considered ‘suspicious activity’”.

The keyboard seemed to be processed with some kind of a detuning effect, creating a certain ambiguity, and there was an array of electronic effects around the instrument. In some cases the vocal samples were chopped and filtered and otherwise manipulated.

The drummer played with interesting chops, and at one point he used a violin bow on orchestra bells and on the flexitone, (a somewhat rare hand percussion instrument) and then rolled some balls around inside a steel drum. Very creative, and visually interesting. This duo exhibited virtuosity on their instruments and also a masterly angle on sound design, with the drum set, keyboards and effects enveloping each other into a nice, round sonic profile.
As I have experienced in my own work, sometimes the live playing somewhat buries the fixed media sounds, so if one was trying to discern the words of a verbal message, the energy of the live instruments obscured those vocal articulations. Ultimately what really resonated was the enthusiasm of the performers for their material and the message.

At one point towards the end of their performance a recorded voice intoned “My voice is my right.” This piece celebrates stuttering in a way which was also often reflected in the instrumental attack and delivery. The drummer had some deep grooves going on underneath layers of percolating beats which were sometimes reminiscent of African polyrhythms without directly appropriating such material.

While I hesitate to categorize or classify this artful music, it did bring to mind some of the seventies prog rock I heard as a youngster, such as King Crimson. There's definitely a concept and virtuosity at work here which is very compelling and was well-received by the crowd.

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