Interview w/ saxophonist Colin Stetson / by Liquid Music

Colin Stetson is a saxophonist who pushes his instruments and himself to the extremes. In addition to producing his bold and visceral solo albums, Stetson has toured and recorded with a wide range of bands including Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, Feist, The National and many more. Stetson’s most recent album, Sorrow, is titled a “reimagining of Górecki’s Third Symphony". Górecki’s 1977 work, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, is renowned for its profound simplicity and emotional resonance. Dawn Upshaw and the London Sinfonietta’s 1992 recording of the work became the No. 1 selling classical record of all time, outselling albums by Michael Jackson and Madonna released that same week. Stetson’s thoughtful adaptation of Górecki's Third Symphony enlists a rare group of twelve musicians including drummer Greg Fox (Z’s, Liturgy), violinist Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre) and Stetson's own sister Megan Stetson, an acclaimed mezzo-soprano. 

Last week Colin spent some time speaking about his work and new album with Twin Cities saxophonist Cole Pulice (Six Families, Sonny Knight and the Lakers). Liquid Music’s 2016.17 season will open with Sorrow on September 30, co-presented with the Walker Art Center. 

Cole: What drew you to working on Gorecki’s Third Symphony?

Colin: I must of heard it around 1993-94, my freshman year of college. I think for everyone, especially musicians, we expose ourselves to so much new music at that point, just discovering thing after thing. Gorecki’s Third imprinted on me pretty severely, it stuck and it was something I couldn’t really shed. I started thinking about different arrangements for it maybe as early as ‘95-’96 and that idea blossomed a bit more throughout ‘99-’00. At that time my sister and I were both living in San Francisco and we were making plans to do this project together ever since then. We have, more or less, always been going in the direction of what we eventually created, but it definitely took time to build. A few years ago, I sat down with myself and made a pact, a general goal, as to accomplish all the projects I’ve been dwelling on and back-burnering for decades and Gorecki’s Third was first on the list. So this is my new policy of ‘Get it done, for real’.  

Cole: Was conceiving of this record as a “reimagining” your intention from the beginning? Or was there a progression from realizing you wanted to present this piece and then understanding that you were doing was something you considered a reimagining? 

Colin: When I first started talking about this we never got close to words or a title. It was really just me making notes in the score, listening to the record, discussing it with friends and my sister. So when it finally came time to present this to people, that’s when the terminology became an issue. Adaptation seemed overly bookish, rendition, I just don’t like. So, reimagining seemed like the only way to accurately voice my ideas. I didn’t want to give the wrong impression. Anyone who knows the original piece intimately and then listens to my version can hear that there’s really no modifications done to the notation. I’ve pushed and pulled some of the phrasing and dynamics and drastically changed the sonic timbre. I’ve inserted moments of breathe and quasi-improvisation where I thought they could be used. But really there’s really no serious alterations to the notation so reimagining seemed like an apt description.

Cole: The careful consideration of the terminology seems important when thinking about presenting this work to different audiences, especially considering all of the different musical communities this project touches from classical audiences to people who have listened to your previous records.

Colin: Well I didn’t really tackle this issue until very late in the game. I only realized a few years ago how commercially successful the original recording was. I knew it was a very world renowned piece but I didn’t know that it was the highest selling classical record of all time. I was talking about the original to someone recently and thinking how the original is many things: it’s gorgeous, it’s a profoundly deep and honest exploration of certain base human conditions and truths. But it is not a challenging or difficult piece of music. It is intentionally and profoundly accessible and it’s immaculately beautiful. My version doesn’t take advantage of that innate accessibility. With the instrumentation and musicians involved, I’ve made the sound of the piece unique but perhaps less universal. The arrangement was always about asking myself, how can I most honestly present this music, filtered through my own collective musical and life experiences.

Cole: Your arrangement has a really interesting cast of characters on it. Was this project made for these specific people or did you choose musicians who you thought would best serve your ideas?

Colin: The arrangement I made developed in part with certain people in mind. My friends are inextricable from who I am musically at this point. It’s not that I’m trying to be particularly exclusive, but music is like friendship in that I really value relationships that I find important and worthwhile. Some of these musicians I’ve known for many years: my sister I’ve known forever, some of the other sax players on the album I’ve known since high school and college. Working with my sister has been an extremely positive experience. Every time my sister steps up on stage she knocks it out of the park, destroying minds, melting faces and hearts. She’s really the MVP of this project. Greg Fox [drummer of Liturgy, Z's}, was most recent addition. I had always loved his playing and aesthetic but meeting him and playing with him in the group Liturgy was really what tied this project together. Greg has so much facility on his instrument, not only within the confines of black metal but also everything his does in his improvisational practice. Specifically, the way he approaches blast beats, time and the manipulation of space help put the final sheen on this record that I’ve been conceiving of for so many years.

Cole: Working on this over the course of so many years, must have been difficult or presented some interesting challenges.

Colin: The idea for this project was something that was more or less adrift in a sea of ideas. I’d have a serious binge with the piece for weeks here and there, sitting with it, making notes and thinking about what it could be. And then I would drift off from it and not see it for a few years. Meeting other musicians along the way helped solidify it piece by piece. For example, I met the guitarists Ryan Ferreira and Grey McMurray when I was new to  New York in 03’-04. They have very specific, unique sounds and approaches to their instruments which was then absorbed into my imaginings of the piece. It all happened organically, kind of piece-meal for many years. The actual process of rehearsing and recording happened very quickly though. Almost everything was recorded live with the full group and comes from a single take.

Cole: "Live-ness" seems to be a central theme in your recordings from the New History of Warfare Records or the duo project with Sarah Neufeld. What is it about "live-ness" that makes it so important to your process?

Colin: The avoidance of loops and overdubs is important in my work because I found that by decreasing the options, I vastly increase my drive for unique solutions. If I allow myself to solve certain musical problems by overdubbing another part or throwing in a pad of synths, it removes the impotence for searching further. If my only option is that everything has to come from this instrument at the same time from my body, you start to think about options outside of the boxes set before you.  

Cole: How has working on this large group project differed from your previous solo work?

Colin: Well you have the best players of their particular instruments all together. They’re all incredible sight-readers and team players. Although they are all incredibly talented, virtuosic musicians, this project hasn’t been a showcase for any one individual. This project feels like having a group of the fastest thoroughbred horses just simply walking through the park. You can see how muscled they are and you think “Oh my god, I bet you they could just rip-roar”. But rather than accomplishing these incredible feats of virtuosity, it feels like everyone is using their individual talents to support the simple and beautiful wholeness of this piece. On a personal and selfish level, it’s great for me to have a group like this to contrast the isolation and high stakes of solo work. It’s great to be able to rely  on eleven of the best players I know. Solo work is the greatest joy but also the deepest fear. I’m utterly addicted to it, but it’s not necessarily a thoroughly positive experience.

Photo by Julia Drummond

Photo by Julia Drummond

Cole: Yeah, it’s incredibly precarious but that’s what makes it exciting, right?. Everything is resting on you. So moving forward, do you see yourself doing more large/small group work or more solo material?

Colin: All of the above. There’s solo records being worked on. I’ve also been doing film scores recently and write those as they come up. There’s a couple of new smaller groups that are at different stages of development. This Gorecki group is going to continue performing on a case by case basis throughout the next year or two. I’m also trying to focus on and record more of my improvised music which is a practice I’ve been working on since I started playing music. I’m hoping to make a series on my label of just improvised music, either duo or trio improvised moments. It come as quickly as I can make it happen.

Cole: I just have one last saxophone nerd question about the lyricon.....