John Butcher is a British saxophonist from Brighton, based in London, whose work centres on free improvisation, free jazz and experimental jazz. He is known in particular for solo performances that use extended saxophone techniques such as multiphonics.

Early life and education

Butcher begins playing saxophone while studying physics at Surrey University. He develops an interest in jazz through musicians including John Surman, Stan Tracey and Louis Moholo, and through performing in his own jazz groups. He later publishes a Ph.D. thesis, Spin effects in the production and weak decay of heavy Quarks, in 1982.

Career

After completing his doctorate, Butcher pursues music full time while continuing to work in groups such as Chris Burn’s Jazz Ensemble. He performs with Phil Durrant, John Russell, Evan Parker, Alan Tomlinson and Derek Bailey, and joins the final version of John Stevens’s Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the early 1990s. He also performs duos with vocalists Phil Minton and Vanessa Mackness.

His work expands into electronics through collaborations with Phil Durrant, Toshimaru Nakamura and Christof Kurzmann. He also takes part in fORCH, the expanded version of Richard Barrett and Paul Obermayer’s electronics duo fURT.

Writing and ensemble work

Alongside performance, Butcher writes pieces for Chris Burn’s Ensemble, Polwechsel and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. He appears in a wide range of regular groups and one-off encounters, including large ensembles such as Fred van Hove’s t’nonet, Radu Malfatti’s Orkestra, Butch Morris’s London Skyscraper, the EX Orkestra and Richard Barrett’s SWR NEWJazz Meeting project. He also gives duo concerts with Fred Frith, Akio Suzuki, Carlos Zingaro, Otomo Yoshihide, Kaffe Matthews, Joe Morris, Jin Hi Kim and Paul Lovens.

Recordings and organisations

Butcher’s solo concerts and recordings form a major part of his output, including The Geometry of Sentiment on Emanem Records. From 1993 to 1997 he serves as a director of the London Musicians’ Collective.

Groups

He is associated with Polwechsel, Vellum, Last Dream of the Morning, The Contest of Pleasures, The Cortet, the John Butcher Group, Anemone, Chris Burn’s Ensemble, the John Butcher and Nate Wooley Duo, the John Butcher and Ken Vandermark Duo and the John Butcher and John Tilbury Duo.