Sax acoustics reach new level

Avant-garde saxophonist John Butcher brings a solo performance Sunday to the John Waldron Arts Center's Rose Firebay Theatre. Local avant-garde group Colloid will open for Butcher, who is originally from England.\nFor Mary Belcher, saxophonist in Colloid, Butcher's playing exhibits "conceptual originality, eloquence, and technical abilities."\n"He explores minute gestures, especially how one sound can morph into another," said Belcher. \nButcher's performance will be solo, something the performer has grown accustomed to. This will be his second visit to Bloomington in as many years.\n"I've never seen him live, but I am looking forward to it," said IU alum Rob Dietz, who plays electronics in Colloid. \nDietz is particularly excited about Butcher's mimicking electric sounds on his acoustic saxophone.\n"He's done a lot of collaborations with electronic music," Dietz said. "He can take his horn and kind of extend it into realms most acoustic instruments don't go."\nEven a brief listen to Butcher's music expresses Dietz's observations, especially the solo performances. The music is breathy, wandering, and challenging to the ear. Butcher is considered central to avant-garde music in Europe, and has been praised by Jazz Review and Wire in the U.K. and The San Francisco Weekly and The San Francisco Bay Guardian in the U.S.\n"He doesn't focus on melody or rhythm, which is what audiences have come to expect," Belcher said. "He focuses on specific things, sounds, and explores them completely."\nShe was instrumental in bringing Butcher to Bloomington, helping organize the event and work out the details.\nColloid also explores the outer limits of music. Colloid mixes electronic music from Dietz with soprano sax from Belcher and tenor sax from IU alum Chris Rall.\n"We liked the interaction between acoustic instruments and electronic ones," said Dietz. "They can clash but make something beautiful as well."\nColloid, how has been playing and performing since Dietz and Belcher met three years ago, just added Rall on sax. The upcoming performance also begins a new phase in Colloid's career. \n"I like to play in different situations to bring out different aspects of what music can be," Belcher said.\nFor Belcher, Butcher's solo performance is the most anticipated aspect of the show.\n"I think he's a musician that operates on a very profound level and I imagine his performance will reflect that," Belcher said. "There'll probably be a sense of wonder and surprise to the music."\nThe show begins at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $8 at the door or can be bought in advance at All Ears for $6.