28–29 November 2014
A very special two-day residency to celebrate the 60th birthday of one of the greats of improvised music - John Butcher. Featuring a line-up comprised of some of Butcher's closest and most long-standing collaborators as well as some brand-new groupings brought together specially for these two days, this should be a unmissable celebratory residency for a musician who has provided a whole host of highlights at Cafe OTO since we opened.
John Butcher is a saxophonist of rare grace and power, who has expanded the vocabulary of the saxophone far beyond the conventions of jazz and other musics, to encompass a staggering range of harmonics, multiphonics, overtones, percussive sounds, and electronic feedback. But his playing is far more than merely an array of special effects: it's characterised by an intensity that propels it into strange new places that are both incredibly beautiful and deeply exhilarating.
When he was finished there were audible exclamations from the audience and the question was asked, not for the first time: ‘why does no one else play saxophone like that?’ - Dalston Sound, review of John Butcher at Cafe OTO, 2012
John Butcher + Rhodri Davies (electric harp) — Magda Mayas (piano) + Angharad Davies (amplified violin) — John Butcher + Gino Robair (drums & electronics) + dieb13 (turntables)
John Butcher + Guillaume Viltard + Dominic Lash + Olie Brice (double basses) — Gino Robair (drums) + Rhodri Davies (harp) + Adam Bohman (objects) — Vellum: John Butcher + Magda Mayas (piano) + Tony Buck (drums)
