Squidco Radio presents a weekly show on the University of North Carolina student-run station Hawkstream Radio. Our March 19, 2014 show is archived at Squidco's Mix Cloud Account.
Here's an approximation of the narrative for the show:
The saxophone is a relatively new instrument in the larger scheme of instruments, created by Adolphe Sax in 1840. The advantage of the saxophone over other single reed instruments are in standardizing the fingering simplifying its playing, and its large voice, which was Sax's goal in creating the instrument. Alto and tenor saxophones play in the range of human voice, making it one of the most perfect instruments for a jazz musician to sing. Great jazz saxophonists are easy to find, and starting in the 60s free improvising players took the lead from great players like John Coltrane to venture into exciting new possibilities with the instrument. Modern players use extended techniques including circular breathing, and use every inch of the instrument to extend its voice.
First up, we take a step back to the roots of free jazz with Ornette Coleman's classic Lonely Woman from his "The Shape of Jazz to Come album" performed in a quartet with
Don Cherry - cornet
Charlie Haden - bass
Billy Higgins - drums
Next is alto saxophonist Steve Lehman from this trio record Dialect Fluorescent, here performing the solo piece "Allocentric", where you can hear a superb example of modern expressiveness on the saxophone.
Steve Lehman-alto saxophone
>Matt Brewer-bass
Damion Reid-drum set
Since 1997 drummer Tim Daisy and saxophonist Dave Rempis have worked together as part of the vital Chicago improvising scene, heard here in the track "For R. Barry" from their Aerophonic album "Second Spring".
We continue on with passionate and expressive players, presenting saxophonist Albert Ayler's 1964 Spiritual Unity album in a trio with Gary Peacock on bass and Sunny Murray on drums & percussion, performing Ayler's classic "Ghosts: First Variation".
Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson is one of the new breed of aggressive players in the European Free Improvisation scene, typically an intense player known for bands like The Thing or Fire! Here we hear a different side to him, in a trio with guitarist Kurt Newman and percussionist Mike Gennaro, using unusual techniques on the reed and body of the sax, from a 1999 album on the Spool record "Port Huron Picnic" in a track titled "Battle Creek".
Returning to more jazz-like material, German born Ingrid Laubrock is a dynamic element in the Downtown NY scene, heard here in a trio with pianist Kris Davis and drummer Tyshawn Sorey performing "Iron Spider" from her 2010 Clean Feed release "Paradoxical Frog".
British saxophonist John Butcher is an amazing player and conceptualist, adaptable in a variety of settings. Here we hear him solo in a track calling "Floating Cult" on his Confront album "Resonant Spaces", using the resonance of his performance space as though it was another player.
Two legendary free players, UK saxophonist Alfred Harth and German bassist Peter Kowald are heard in a forward-thinking duo from their "Region 2 for Seconds 1998" released on Harth's own Laubhuette label.
Another amazing and intense duo, UK guitarist Fred Frith, a founding member of Henry Cow, and NY saxophonist John Zorn, have collaborated on several albums of extreme and informed improvisation, here in the 2010 Tzadik release "Late Works" in a track titled "Baffled Hats".
Electroacoustic improvisation has opened a world of sonic possibilities for improvisers, heard here in the French duo of electronic improviser Eric La Casa and saxophonist Jean-Luc Guionnett, an unusual dialog of sound and technique that blurs the sound of the sax and merges it with the electronics. This is from their 2008 Monotype album "Inscape. Lille-Flandres"
Paul Dunmall is a prolific UK player, with a large discography on the FMR label. Here he looks back in free jazz history, performing John Coltrane's classic "Giant Steps" in a radically different way, in a duo with drummer Tony Bianco from their 2012 album "Thank You to John Coltrane.
No revue of the modern sax would be complete without Joe McPhee, a NY player who opened doors for free players in the 60s with albums like "Nation Time". Here is a track from his 2011 album "Magic" with alto saxophonist Mikolaj Trzaska, bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jay Rosen, in a track titled "Transaction".
We'll end where we began, with Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", this time performed by another legendary and powerful free player, Peter Brotzmann, from his 2012 "Solo + Trio Roma" album on the Victo label, performing live at the 27th Victoriaville Festival.
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