Belgrave Music Hall Leeds
A visceral growl soars aggressively over the hypnotic drone of the enormous bass saxophone. As this growl and drone combine into one gradual and gloriously oppressive forcefield ringing through the Belgrave Music Hall, a once tacitly stunned audience break their silence to frenetically applaud this gloriously complex set of uniquely powerful horn gestures. This man on stage yields such power over this room with a careless disregard. This man is Colin Stetson.
One of the 21st century’s most unique horn players, Stetson boasts a unique soloistic musical style. As dedicated to his predecessors as his contemporaries – his horn playing is just as Rahsaan Roland Kirk as it is Matana Roberts – Stetson is revered so highly for his idiosyncratic approach to performance. His career is extensive, decorated with solo albums, film soundtracks and more. But Stetson’s ability to command a stage with only himself and his horns is the truly remarkable feature of this unorthodox instrumentalist.
With techniques like circular breathing and multiphonics mastered with nonchalance, each horn is extensively decorated with microphones, as is Stetson himself. With the instrument’s bell, keys and Stetson’s breathing forming an audible interplay between musician and horn, the performance transforms Stetson into a one-horn orchestra. Equally capable of producing complex textures and compositions on the bass saxophone as the contrabass clarinet, Stetson flirts between instruments, with his approach to multiphonics sounding eerily like multiple performers. An attentive audience, dishevelled by this devastatingly and counterintuitively diversely soloistic sound palette, are only ever watching or applauding, incrementally petrified by Stetson’s finesse. And with a particularly remarkable circular breathing technique mastered, Stetson is unabashed to extend compositions beyond ten minutes, with each passing minute seeing a new tone, growl, timbre or colour introduced. Equally comfortable in performance and conversation, Stetson details the brilliance of the horn’s sound when played within the wooden confinements of the venue. And while this environment made for an especially pleasing acoustic, even the most unflattering surroundings would seldom detract from a performance like this.