London & Cologne by John Butcher

The second solo record - released in 1996 on Rastascan.

Original sleeve-notes - John Butcher, 1996.
I often find that improvising solo involves a kind of mental battle between playing what I know and what I don’t know. Too much of the former and the music misses out on the special twists and turns that are so unique to free playing. At the other extreme the baby can slip away with the bath water.
My earlier solo CD — "Thirteen Friendly Numbers" — was a studio recording, prompting me to think in terms of individual pieces. Playing to just a microphone and an engineer, I found it almost impossible to maintain the developmental energy of a live performance and looked for something else.
In concert I usually prefer to start without much of a map and to trust in the magic (or otherwise) of the moment for directions. I hope the seven live tracks on "London and Cologne" (selected from concerts in ‘94, ‘95 and ‘96) capture something of this. Recent performances have also included improvisation plus tape and "Shrinkdown" (although here a studio recording) is an example. The tape is of four untreated, but close-miked/amplified, soprano saxophones.

"The pleasure of hearing Butcher create the plaintive, melancholy "Almost Secret," a song that reminds one of Joe McPhee's wonderful ventures into this area, is intense."
All Music Guide.

""Shrinkdown" is perhaps the most impressive work. For 7.5 almost eerily logical minutes Butcher develops an improvisation working almost entirely with sounds outside the conventional soprano sound spectrum. Close-miking becomes an art-form in itself."
WIRE.

Improviser, Composer, Saxophonist.
Born in Brighton.
Lives in London.

johnbutcher.org.uk