One of the giants of the saxophone, John Butcher, returns to
Seattle for his first show here in over two years.
When I saw the London-based saxophonist in 2005, I somehow managed
to scribble a few notes while mesmerized by his performance: “It begins
with a squeal of rushing breath and two notes alternating like a
sped-up foghorn. The waves of sound dissolve into a loud hiss, like
the false ocean heard in a conch shell.” I also wrote that
Butcher’s “trills, propelled by circular breathing, create subsonic
notes, as if someone is gently tapping your eardrum.”
Butcher excels at exposing the noisy, mechanical vertebrae of
“natural” acoustic notes through gradual transformation and radical
exploration. Usually overlooked as the stray components of a note,
those vertebrae—the streaming air that leaks from a partially
open key, the rasp of a bitten reed, and collision of leftover
harmonics—appear in the foreground of Butcher’s music. After a
few seconds, Butcher’s insistent cells of sound can assume an almost
electronic guise. Tone and noise blur, becoming one.
Butcher’s profound attention to his own sound carries over in his
collaborations. He is an excellent listener who welcomes space and
silence. Here, Butcher teams up with two Vancouver, BC–based
musicians, bassist Torsten Müller and drummer Dylan van
der Schyff. Not merely a thumping timekeeper or delineator of
harmonic progressions, Müller is at once a soloist and
accompanist, injecting commentary and at other times taking the lead. A
favorite sparring partner of Wayne Horvitz, van der Schyff ranges from
delicate textures with brushes and cymbals to blunt punctuation. Not to
be missed. 
John Butcher and friends perform Thurs Dec 6 at the Fourth-floor
Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N,
547-6763, 8 pm, $5–$15 sliding-scale donation.
Thurs 12/6
NUTCRACKER
I’ve seen Pacific Northwest Ballet’s fine production of the
Tchaikovsky ballet many times and I still love it. Despite wallpapering
countless Christmas TV ads for jewelry, one-day sales, outlet malls,
and luxury vehicles, Tchaikovsky’s music somehow resists commercial
wear and tear. Nutcracker‘s courtly choreography, sumptuously
colored costumes, and vivid sets designed by Maurice Sendak help, too.
Through Sat Dec 29; see www.pnb.org/season/nutcracker for a complete schedule. McCaw Hall, 321 Mercer St, 441-2424,
various times, $20—$125.
Sat 12/8
SEATTLE PRO MUSICA
Traditional holiday carols mix it up with choral music by
Tchaikovsky and Arvo Pärt. The 3 pm show is a family concert, i.e.
shorter, heavier on the sing-along carols, and cheap ($5) for kids
under 12. Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Ave, 781-2766, 3 and 7:30 pm,
$10—$23.
THE ESOTERICS
Led by Eric Banks, this a cappella group sings music by Richard
Strauss (the mazelike Zwei Gesänge, op. 34), Heinrich
Poos’s Hypostasis, and Donald Skirvin’s “Song of Apollo,” a
setting of a Homeric hymn translated by Percy Bysshe Shelley. The
Esoterics also tackle two by Banks himself, “Onomata
planêtôn” and “Tabula siderum zodiaco,” which maps the 928
stars of the zodiac into music. Also Sun Dec 9 at Holy Rosary Church in
West Seattle at 3 pm. St Joseph’s Church, 732 18th Ave E, 935-7779,
8 pm, $15—$18.
Sun 12/9
DAS VIBENBASS
I like this sax- and vibes-fronted quartet’s penchant for short,
funky motifs, accelerating tempos, and unexpected detours. The
Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, 7 pm, $13 adv/$15 DOS.
Mon 12/10
LADIES MUSICAL CLUB
A slew of singers sally through scenes and arias from various Mozart
operas in perhaps the most unusual venue for classical music in town.
Harborview Medical Center, Main Building Cafeteria, 325 Ninth Ave,
622-6882, 3 pm, free.
Tue 12/11
MOUTIN REUNION QUARTET
Anchored by two brothers, François Moutin (bass) and Louis
Moutin (drums), this straight-ahead outfit reminds me of late-’70s
Weather Report without the wall of synths. The quartet’s turn-on-dime
arrangements and incisive solos wowed the crowd at the Ballard Jazz
Festival earlier this year. With Pierre de Bethmann (piano) and Rick
Margitza (saxophones). Also Wed Dec 12. Jazz Alley, 2033 Sixth Ave,
441-9729, 7:30 pm, $21.50.
Wed 12/12
PAUL RUCKER
Consider this show a one-night retrospective of the ambitious,
wide-ranging composer/cellist/installation artist. Rucker opens with a
solo cello set; his Quintet, which features guitarist Bill Horist,
concludes the evening. Before the show and during intermission, you can
explore three of Rucker’s installations, Catalyst, Eleven
Conversations, and Busker. Fourth-floor Chapel
Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 8 pm,
$5—$15 sliding-scale donation.
DEATH WORTH LIVING
The nasal synths, spacey delays, and ebbing percussion barrages of
this sax/drums/electronics trio echo the racketiest (and to my ears,
best) music of the jazz-rock experimentalists Soft Machine. Snowman
Plan, the Portland duo EET, and the cleverly monikered Others TBA round
out the bill. Gallery 1412, 1412 18th Ave, 322-1533, 8 pm, free,
but donations accepted.
