Home » Jazz Articles » John Butcher

Jazz Articles about John Butcher

6
Album Review

John Butcher / Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Steve Noble: Fathom

Read "Fathom" reviewed by John Sharpe


Finely judged sounds studded in space. Bursts of incipient rhythm. Wafts of fire music energy. Those are just some of the fruitful products of the British foursome of saxophonist John Butcher, pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Dominic Lash and drummer Steve Noble. A spider's web of alliances connects them, notably tangled given their time on the promiscuous UK free scene, so it is all the more surprising that Fathom documents their first meeting as a group, in north London's Cafe Oto ...

Album Review

Florian Stoffner, John Butcher, Chris Corsano: Braids

Read "Braids" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro


Una free impro abbastanza classica (tutto può diventare un classico, anche l'irriverenza), piuttosto ben calibrata e mai sopra le righe, è quanto ci giunge da questi cinquanta minuti scarsi di musica certamente non accomodante (ma del resto, come si sarà capito, nemmeno mai urtante), incisi nel maggio 2022 in quel di Bienna, città svizzera sul lago omonimo, fra Berna e Basilea. Ne sono artefici tre musicisti piuttosto rodati in materia, in special modo il sassofonista inglese John Butcher, che viaggia ...

5
Album Review

Florian Stoffner, John Butcher, Chris Corsano.: Braids

Read "Braids" reviewed by John Eyles


The trio of Swiss guitarist Florian Stoffer, British saxophonist John Butcher and US drummer Chris Corsano recorded their first album Braids live at Le Singe, in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland, on May 22nd 2022. Stoffer had a previous release on ezz-thetics, Tetratne, a duo with drummer Paul Lovens, released in 2020. Between 1999 and 2009, Butcher was a member of the quartet Polwechsel, appearing on three of the group's albums on hatOLOGY or hat[now]ART; he was also a soloist on Christopher Fox's ...

4
Album Review

Thermal: Ice In A Hot World

Read "Ice In A Hot World" reviewed by John Sharpe


A group which played their first concert in a disused Brussels train station in the early 2000s shows it still knows how to unsettle on Ice In A Hot World. It is only the second album during this time from saxophonist John Butcher, analog synthesizer player Thomas Lehn and guitarist Andy Moor, who ply their trade under the banner Thermal. Recorded live in Avignon just before the pandemic hit, the five spontaneously crafted cuts showcase a particularly egalitarian trio who ...

5
Album Review

John Butcher: The Very Fabric

Read "The Very Fabric" reviewed by John Eyles


Recorded in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 17th 2022, John Butcher's The Very Fabric is welcome and notable for several reasons. Firstly, it is the first release on which he is the sole musician since Nigemizu (Uchimizu Records, 2015), recorded in August 2013. Secondly, at the invitation of Thomas Buhl-Wiggers of the Cejoro festival and label, Butcher recorded The Very Fabric in Copenhagen's Brønshøj Vandtårn, a concrete water tower built about a century ago in the suburbs of the city. Buhl-Wiggers ...

4
Multiple Reviews

The John Butcher Vinyl Series

Read "The John Butcher Vinyl Series" reviewed by John Sharpe


British saxophonist John Butcher has originated an astounding array of saxophone techniques which he combines in a personal syntax which is instantly recognizable, particularly involving the production of a broad range of multiphonics which vary from juddering growl to chirruping stridulation, but which defies easy description. Novel sounds in themselves of course would only be of passing interest were the way in which he orchestrates on-the-fly, either alone or in consort with others, not so compelling. As a ...

4
Album Review

John Butcher, Thomas Lehn, Gino Robair: Shaped & Chased

Read "Shaped & Chased" reviewed by Mark Corroto


To mark John Butcher's 65th birthday in 2019, a series of concerts was held (mostly in Berlin) which produced five well-appointed limited edition LPs of 300 from the folks at Ni Vu Ni Connu. The varied albums include Induction, a trio with Burkhard Beins and Werner Dafeldecker, La Pierre Tachée, a duo with Sophie Agnel, Shaped & Chased, a trio with Thomas Lehn and Gino Robair, Lamenti Dall'infinito, a quartet with Liz Allbee, Ignaz Schick, and Marta Zapparoli, and Glints, ...


Engage

Contest Giveaways
Enter our latest contest giveaway sponsored by Musicians Performance Trust Fund
Polls & Surveys
Vote for your favorite musicians and participate in our brief surveys.

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.