JOHN BUTCHER’S ‘OCTET BREAKUP’

John Butcher has an unprecedented vocabulary on the saxophone. Ever since the 1970s, when he studied theoretical physics, he has been searching for new sounds, inspired by electronic music and like-minded experimental musicians. Tonight he plays in various line-ups, from duo to octet. The players include Chris Burn, with whom he once won a big band competition, and Thomas Lehn, who he knows from several improvisation projects. ‘No one has gone beyond Butcher’s hypermodern language of sounds rooted in the resources of the saxophone: there may not be a “beyond” to go to.’ (Steve Lake) ‘Butcher’s tender accuracy winds up more devastating than those wild blowers who think that mere volume will allow them to capture the ghosts of Ayler and Coltrane. (The Wire).