John Butcher vinyl series out now!

“Improvised music at this level of concentration may touch the roots of human culture, the transformative power of the cave and the paintings of Lascaux and Altamira.”
—Stuart Broomer

These live recordings feature the prominent British saxophonist in five different musical formations. They capture a series of five concerts held in 2019, in which Butcher was joined by a roster of international musicians for a two-day celebratory event at Ausland in Berlin and launched a new trio recorded in Leipzig and Berlin.

The series bears witness to the extraordinary breadth of Butcher’s musical palette, which allows him to play across different musical scenes and with performers from the most diverse backgrounds. In these recordings, he variously reunites with colleagues with whom he has worked extensively in the past (Burkhard Beins, Werner Dafeldecker, Thomas Lehn, Gino Robair, Sophie Agnel, Tony Buck, Magda Mayas), and engages with younger performers from the eclectic Berlin “Echtzeitmusik” scene (Liz Allbee, Ignaz Schick, Marta Zapparoli).

The recordings cover a wide range of musical approaches and experiments, from “expression, speculation, ceremony, initiation and transcendence” (Stuart Broomer) to sound refractions and mimicry. Documenting Butcher’s versatility and empathic sense of communion, they underline his unique status in the improvised music world, which has earned him a reputation as one of the scene’s most influential musicians.

A full review by Michael Rosenstein can be found here.

This superb set of 5 LPs documents a two-day festival in Berlin in October 2019 with various formations around the English saxophonist. Featuring Burkhard Beins, Werner Dafeldecker, Sophie Agnel, Thomas Lehn, Gino Robair, Liz Allbee, Ignaz Schick, Marta Zapparoli, Magda Mayas and Tony Buck.

Recording Andrew Levine
Editing and mixing John Butcher
Mastering Andreas “Lupo” Lubich

LP design by Yaqin Si
Liner notes by Stuart Broomer
Inner sleeve photography by Cristina Marx/Photomusix
Manufacturing by Daniel Klotz/Die Lettertypen

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