John Butcher at Sixty, Cafe OTO

One of the true greats of European improvised music, saxophonist John Butcher celebrates his 60th birthday with a two day residency at Cafe OTO. Renowned for his exploratory approach and for breaking new ground in saxophone playing, Butcher has developed an arsenal of extended techniques that include breathtaking multiphonics, birdsong-like passages of chattering altissimo, drones, overtones and controlled feedback, all of which he deploys with keen awareness and consume skill across the numerous musical formats in which he plays.
Here you’ll have the chance to see him perform as part of four different ensembles, bringing together leading improvisers from across Europe and the USA. On Friday 28 November he’ll appear alongside electric harpist Rhodri Davies and as part of a trio with drummer and electronics maestro Gino Robair and turntablist Dieter Kovačič (AKA dieb13), a prominent member of the Viennese avant garde scene. While on Saturday 29, he’ll be grappling with three double bassists (Guillaume Viltard, Dominic Lash and Olie Brice) and performing alongside Vellum, an outfit completed by pianist Magda Mayas and drummer Tony Buck.
Interspersed between Butcher’s sets are performances from Mayas and Angharad Davies (28 Nov), a violinist known for altering and enhancing the sound of her instrument by attaching objects to the strings, and from Robair, Rhodri Davies and Adam Bohman (29 Nov), a musician who specialises in creating complex soundscapes from an eccentric array of household objects. Butcher is a favourite at Cafe OTO, one of London’s foremost improvised music venues, and tickets for this sonic adventure are likely to sell out fast. Don’t miss the boat.