At first there were some flourishes and gentle waves of ostinatos skipping around the room. Then they built and built and diminished and built some more. Then a voice rang out wordless melodies over it all. What started as a trickle turned into a river, turned into a sea, turned into an ocean encompassing the audience in an endless and ever-changing musical ether. In the darkened venue, stark white lights triangulated from the rear of the stage illuminating the performer, Saxophonist/Composer Colin Stetson, in a moody but sharp contrast of light and shadow that juxtaposed the incredible, intricate, and never-ending flow of notes. Though his career has featured work with Animal Collective, The Chemical Brothers, Arcade Fire, and Tom Waits, Stetson’s solo shows are where the magic is most unleashed.
Celebrating the release of his latest solo album “The love it took to leave you” the day before the concert, Stetson treated the very packed El Rey Theatre crowd to what was likely the longest six-song set anyone there had ever witnessed. Using his highly developed circular breathing skills, each song featured non-stop saxophone notes for inconceivable amounts of time and the vocals picked up by a neck microphone that were at times angelic, tortured, and tribal. With so many notes happening constantly it’s hard for the brain and ears to figure out what they’re encountering, and the experience becomes quite trance-like, and the washes of different emotions is an experience unlike anything else. Parts feel almost spiritual, others humorous, others very tense or dramatic. Alto Sax opener “Spindrift” from 2017’s “All this I do for glory” an uplifting and hopeful adventure, Bass Sax piece “Safe with me” meditative and reflective, 2023 album title track “When We Were That What Wept For The Sea” an energetic and thrilling joyride.
In a night of all highlights, the music from the new album still stood out. Title track “The love it took to leave you” propels forward with a tense pulse while the alto sax interjects with melancholy flourishes and the plaintive voice soars overhead. Closer “Strike your forge and grin” ominous open and heartbeat gradually shifts to an unfettered and rhythmically free second half where the influence of John Zorn, Bill Frisell, and Ornette shone through.
Words and photos by Tim Aarons
