„With a physical build somewhere between that of a yogi and a cage fighter, the American multireedist has built a solo career on eye-poppingly punishing live performances. Stetson’s circular breathing technique, which allows him play continuously without so much as a pause, takes a relentless toll on his body across this 70-minute performance – his neck veins protrude viciously, his cheeks turn a furious shade of puce, and his eyes are clenched shut, with only the rare glance up above, as if to summon some divine strength. And with the humongous bass sax hanging around his neck, the challenge only intensifies.
Stetson’s versatility is astounding tonight, as you’d expect from a musician who’s done everything from reinterpreting the symphony of Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, to collaborating with Arcade Fire and TV on the Radio. While others may reach into the same places as he does for inspiration, no-one else brings it into the light with such urgency, zeal and persistence as Stetson.“ (Jochan Embley)
Colin Stetson was born and raised in Ann Arbor, spent a decade in San Francisco and Brooklyn honing his formidable talents as a horn player, eventually settling in Montreal in 2007. Over the years he has worked extensively, live and in studio, with a wide range of bands and musicians including Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, Bon Iver, TV On The Radio, Feist, Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, Bill Laswell, Evan Parker, The Chemical Brothers, Animal Collective, Hamid Drake, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Angelique Kidjo, Fink, and David Gilmore. Meanwhile he has developed an utterly unique voice as a soloist, principally on saxophones and clarinets, his intense technical prowess matched by his exhilarating and emotionally gripping skills as a songwriter. Stetson’s astounding physical engagement with his instruments (chiefly bass and alto saxophones) produces emotionally rich and polyphonic compositions that transcend expectations of what solo horn playing can sound like. Stemming from that approach and aesthetic, he has been contributing regularly to the world of film, TV, and game scoring over the past decade with such titles as Hereditary, The First, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Color Out of Space.
COLIN STETSON solo
Line Up
Colin Stetson, saxophones
LISTEN
Tourdates
11.08.2021 CRATO/Portugal
23.08.2021 return home