Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » John Butcher / Christof Kurzmann: The Big Misunderstandi...

John Butcher / Christof Kurzmann: The Big Misunderstanding Between Hertz And Megahertz

By Mark Corroto
September 22, 2006
View read count

John Butcher / Christof Kurzmann: The Big Misunderstanding Between Hertz And Megahertz

If industry and our modern industrial climate has created what sociologists call the "modern primitive, then British saxophonist John Butcher is certainly one of today's original men. His saxophone style has unique originality, that's for sure. It is as if he could have picked up a bicycle or a carp and proceeded to use them to communicate with us. It just so happens that he plays the saxophone.

Like his frequent partner Axel Dörner (trumpet), Butcher tends to never sound anything like the horn he puts to his lips. At first he explores extended techniques, then he soon gives way to electronic manipulation. Paired with the Vienna-based electronics musician Christoff Kurzmann, Butcher spreads out his sounds here, possibly responding to Kurzmann's manipulation or using them as a means to engage his Lloopp accomplice.

The opening "Aume is a meditation on the minimalism of breath and touch, with a constant current of nervous energy propelling your ears. "Bee Space pares things down further to an almost acoustic feel, before samples overlap and we understand the echoes of manipulations. The eerie science fiction of "Schilling, as opposed to the spooky feel of "Shilling (check the spelling), could be a partial soundtrack to a 1970's low budget space movie. (On the other hand, "Shilling has the feel of a stalker movie soundtrack.)

But then again, I could be wrong.

The sounds created by Butcher and Kurzmann allow for flights of the imagination, as opposed to meditation.

Track Listing

Aume; Bee Space; Klafter; Redwood Second; Schilling; Seer; Shilling; Therblig; Thimbleful.

Personnel

John Butcher

saxophone

John Butcher: tenor and soprano saxophones, feedback tenor saxophone; Christof Kurzmann: Lloopp, pickup.

Album information

Title: The Big Misunderstanding Between Hertz And Megahertz | Year Released: 2006 | Record Label: Potlatch Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Ann Hampton Callaway Swings Blues Al...
< Previous

Heroes
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.