A New Jazz Century
November 30, 2020 1:59 PM Subscribe
From the Adult Swim Festival 2020, a remarkable performance by saxophone player Colin Stetson, which includes two unreleased tracks, "The love it took to leave you" and "Strike your forge and grin."
The Adult Swim Festival is here to fill some of the 2020 music festival void by featuring many other musical performances from artists like Kaytranada, Algiers, and Kamasi Washington, among others. Adult Swim has also put out a jazz compilation called New Jazz Century, which includes tracks from Colin Stetson, Sons of Kemet, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Matana Roberts, and more.
In case you're wondering what's brought avant garde saxophonist and composer Colin Stetson and Adult Swim together, it's Toonami's (Adult Swim's anime division) upcoming adaptation of Junji Ito's horror manga Uzumaki, which Stetson is composing original music for. The miniseries will air in 2021 due to pandemic-related delays.
The Adult Swim Festival is here to fill some of the 2020 music festival void by featuring many other musical performances from artists like Kaytranada, Algiers, and Kamasi Washington, among others. Adult Swim has also put out a jazz compilation called New Jazz Century, which includes tracks from Colin Stetson, Sons of Kemet, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, Matana Roberts, and more.
In case you're wondering what's brought avant garde saxophonist and composer Colin Stetson and Adult Swim together, it's Toonami's (Adult Swim's anime division) upcoming adaptation of Junji Ito's horror manga Uzumaki, which Stetson is composing original music for. The miniseries will air in 2021 due to pandemic-related delays.
Cartoon Network’s nighttime block has really ended up in a very different place than I would have expected back when it was introducing American teens to Cowboy Bebop.
posted by Going To Maine at 3:21 PM on November 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by Going To Maine at 3:21 PM on November 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
I think I first heard of Colin Stetson because of Sorrow - A Reimagining of Gorecki's 3rd Symphony
(Gorecki's 3rd previously on Metafilter, the Beth Gibbons version)
posted by deeker at 3:21 PM on November 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
(Gorecki's 3rd previously on Metafilter, the Beth Gibbons version)
posted by deeker at 3:21 PM on November 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Apologies - Stetson's Gorecki itself, previously on Metafilter.
posted by deeker at 3:23 PM on November 30, 2020
posted by deeker at 3:23 PM on November 30, 2020
Is he making all that noise by himself? Serious question. It sounds like a multi-piece band, maybe with an electronic support of some kind. It's incredible either way, but really mystifyingly incredible if that layering is all and only Stetson.
posted by chavenet at 3:30 PM on November 30, 2020
posted by chavenet at 3:30 PM on November 30, 2020
It's all him, apparently, though I will confess to being mystified by what exactly is making the clacking beat noise in Strike your forge and grin, because his finger movements don't seem to correspond to it exactly. In general though, yes, it's all him, by himself, no looping or overdubbing. He achieves it by circular breathing, some clever mic'ing, and presumably just his skill. You can see he's wearing a throat mic to capture his vocalizations, mics for the bell of the saxophone, and mics down by the pads for the percussion.
He truly manages to get an astonishingly enormous amount of sound out of just, like, himself and one instrument: you can see it in this live performance of To See More Light (compare to the album version, which sounds cleaner on account of not being a phone recording, but which still has just as much unrelenting, eldritch sound). There's also this breakdown of Judges, where he separates it all out piece by piece, before showing how it all comes together.
Honestly, the way he plays seems as much a feat of athleticism as anything else, because holy shit his lungs.
posted by yasaman at 4:00 PM on November 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
He truly manages to get an astonishingly enormous amount of sound out of just, like, himself and one instrument: you can see it in this live performance of To See More Light (compare to the album version, which sounds cleaner on account of not being a phone recording, but which still has just as much unrelenting, eldritch sound). There's also this breakdown of Judges, where he separates it all out piece by piece, before showing how it all comes together.
Honestly, the way he plays seems as much a feat of athleticism as anything else, because holy shit his lungs.
posted by yasaman at 4:00 PM on November 30, 2020 [6 favorites]
I think there are some judiciously applied effects (reverb, delay) in play, but otherwise it’s all Stetson. He’s a damn genius
posted by Doleful Creature at 4:55 PM on November 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Doleful Creature at 4:55 PM on November 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Following the youtube rabbit hole mentioned at How old, ambient Japanese music became a smash hit on YouTube, and ended up at Laurie Anderson - Only An Expert (Live Letterman) 2010 (featuring Colin Stetson and Bill Laswell). Crossed the streams so to speak.
posted by alikins at 5:05 PM on November 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by alikins at 5:05 PM on November 30, 2020 [3 favorites]
Never Were the Way She Was, with Sarah Neufeld, is a fantastic album.
It looks like he’s gotten into soundtrack work lately, which is great, but I am eagerly awaiting a proper follow up to All This I Do For Glory. He’s just relentlessly creative—each album is more jaw-droppingly epic than the last.
posted by hototogisu at 5:48 PM on November 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
It looks like he’s gotten into soundtrack work lately, which is great, but I am eagerly awaiting a proper follow up to All This I Do For Glory. He’s just relentlessly creative—each album is more jaw-droppingly epic than the last.
posted by hototogisu at 5:48 PM on November 30, 2020 [5 favorites]
Honestly, the way he plays seems as much a feat of athleticism as anything else, because holy shit his lungs.
I saw him live once, and it was terrifyingly visceral, approaching a sort of monastic self-flagellation. The man was suffering. It was an incredible experience, despite being hard to watch.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 6:14 PM on November 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
I saw him live once, and it was terrifyingly visceral, approaching a sort of monastic self-flagellation. The man was suffering. It was an incredible experience, despite being hard to watch.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 6:14 PM on November 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
I clicked over to the Colin Stetson video intending to watch a minute or so to just get a feel and watched the entire 37 minutes rapt and am now off to cue up more of him everywhere I can find him. This performance is just amazing.
He reminds me of Philip Glass in all the right ways.
posted by fader at 7:38 PM on November 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
He reminds me of Philip Glass in all the right ways.
posted by fader at 7:38 PM on November 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
and ended up at Laurie Anderson - Only An Expert (Live Letterman) 2010 (featuring Colin Stetson and Bill Laswell)
TO COLIN: you're the best
posted by gwint at 8:03 PM on November 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
TO COLIN: you're the best
posted by gwint at 8:03 PM on November 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
I think there are some judiciously applied effects (reverb, delay) in play
Pretty sure it's just reverb.
posted by flabdablet at 8:42 PM on November 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
Pretty sure it's just reverb.
posted by flabdablet at 8:42 PM on November 30, 2020 [2 favorites]
He’s spoken before about the increasingly strenuous fitness requirements of the music he wanted to make. His first album is good, but the complexity and intensity of each album increased so drastically I find I don’t listen to it that often.
posted by hototogisu at 8:49 PM on November 30, 2020
posted by hototogisu at 8:49 PM on November 30, 2020
the increasingly strenuous fitness requirements of the music he wanted to make
I suspect he won't really be happy until the world develops a body modification surgery that could give him separate diaphragm muscles for each lung.
posted by flabdablet at 9:43 PM on November 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
I suspect he won't really be happy until the world develops a body modification surgery that could give him separate diaphragm muscles for each lung.
posted by flabdablet at 9:43 PM on November 30, 2020 [4 favorites]
well, damn. that's incredible.
posted by chavenet at 1:23 AM on December 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by chavenet at 1:23 AM on December 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
> what exactly is making the clacking beat noise in Strike your forge and grin, because his finger movements don't seem to correspond to it exactly.
Most of the keys with the contact mics are triggered by his pinkies. They're farthest down the horn so when he's playing notes above a certain register he can close and open them without noticeably affecting the note (because enough keys in the middle are open to let all the air out). By happy coincidence since they're the largest they make the meatiest, clumpiest noises.
posted by ardgedee at 4:21 AM on December 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
Most of the keys with the contact mics are triggered by his pinkies. They're farthest down the horn so when he's playing notes above a certain register he can close and open them without noticeably affecting the note (because enough keys in the middle are open to let all the air out). By happy coincidence since they're the largest they make the meatiest, clumpiest noises.
posted by ardgedee at 4:21 AM on December 1, 2020 [2 favorites]
I've listened to this live performance 4-5 times through now and yet somehow never thought to post here, thanks for the reminder yasaman!
I saw him supporting Godspeed You! Black Emperor and I barely remember the headline act but I've been a fan of Stetson ever since. I, like many commenters here, was amazed that one person could generate that much sound and his work never fails to transport me.
A comment I read online described "Reborn" off the Hereditary soundtrack as "what sunrise in hell sounds like" and I've rarely heard a more apt description.
posted by slimepuppy at 4:54 AM on December 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
I saw him supporting Godspeed You! Black Emperor and I barely remember the headline act but I've been a fan of Stetson ever since. I, like many commenters here, was amazed that one person could generate that much sound and his work never fails to transport me.
A comment I read online described "Reborn" off the Hereditary soundtrack as "what sunrise in hell sounds like" and I've rarely heard a more apt description.
posted by slimepuppy at 4:54 AM on December 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
Jazz Watch 2020. I keep thinking each year that this will be the year of the jazz revival. Maybe next year will be the year.
posted by subdee at 7:54 AM on December 1, 2020
posted by subdee at 7:54 AM on December 1, 2020
subdee: "Jazz Watch 2020. I keep thinking each year that this will be the year of the jazz revival. Maybe next year will be the year."
Based on the recent sampling, jazz hardly needs reviving.
posted by chavenet at 8:47 AM on December 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
Based on the recent sampling, jazz hardly needs reviving.
posted by chavenet at 8:47 AM on December 1, 2020 [1 favorite]
Huh. Just found out he did the soundtracks for Closet Monster, Hereditary and Color Out of Space. Thanks for the post. Heavily physical aggressive sax soloing has never been my fave jazz sound (late Coltrane is my least fave Coltrane) but the hypnotic section of the linked video that starts at 15:15 is right up my alley.
posted by mediareport at 9:16 AM on December 2, 2020
posted by mediareport at 9:16 AM on December 2, 2020
(oh he just has a cut on the Closet Monster soundtrack, but still)
posted by mediareport at 9:17 AM on December 2, 2020
posted by mediareport at 9:17 AM on December 2, 2020
For those who need more Colin Stetson, my faves:
His feature on Confessions Pt. II by BadBadNotGood
His soundtrack for Hereditary
His collaborative album with Mats Gustafsson (for when one saxophone isn't enough)
posted by shenkerism at 3:54 PM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
His feature on Confessions Pt. II by BadBadNotGood
His soundtrack for Hereditary
His collaborative album with Mats Gustafsson (for when one saxophone isn't enough)
posted by shenkerism at 3:54 PM on December 2, 2020 [1 favorite]
The first link has gone private. Does any one know what the name of the first song Stetson was playing? It's been haunting me.
posted by now i'm piste at 6:05 PM on December 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by now i'm piste at 6:05 PM on December 14, 2020 [1 favorite]
aww, booo, not sure why Adult Swim took it down. The first song was "The love it took to leave you", as yet unreleased.
posted by yasaman at 5:57 PM on December 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by yasaman at 5:57 PM on December 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
It looks like they took the whole festival down 1 month after it aired?
Shame that, normally I'm good about downloading this sort of thing but it skipped my mind, didn't think it'd be time-sensitive.
posted by CrystalDave at 6:10 PM on December 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Shame that, normally I'm good about downloading this sort of thing but it skipped my mind, didn't think it'd be time-sensitive.
posted by CrystalDave at 6:10 PM on December 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Colin has put it up on his own channel. With tracklist this time. Really glad it's back up but weird that Adult Swim dropped it.
posted by slimepuppy at 12:46 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by slimepuppy at 12:46 PM on December 18, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by gwint at 2:21 PM on November 30, 2020 [4 favorites]