Sten Sandell Trio with John Butcher

Sten Sandell Trio with John Butcher
JUNE 23 Vancouver East Cultural Centre
Pianist/composer Sten Sandell is probably best known for his work with the Swedish free-improv trio Gush (Mats Gustafsson, Raymond Strid). He’s also a member of the Low Dynamic Orchestra and has collaborated with musicians such as Evan Parker, Chris Cutler, David Moss, and Barry Guy. An engaging improviser strongly influenced by contemporary classical composers like Morton Feldman and John Cage, Sten has been compared to Paul Bley and Cecil Taylor. Down Beat critic John Corbett recently wrote: “Sandell’s solo was a festival highlight: absolute polyrhythmic directness (threes and two overlaid like an absolute metronome!), startling vocal interjections and a sensational manipulation of energy.” Joining Sten, bassist Johan Berthling, and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love is British saxophone master John Butcher. Butcher has created a vocabulary that can accommodate any number of disparate musical concepts including free improvisation, compositional structure, multi-tracking, live electronics, amplification, and feedback. In a review, England’s Wire magazine stated that “Butcher’s solo was revelatory…held aloft by circular breathing, the multiple trills and multiphonics…astounding control…occasional lyrical eruptions.” He has performed with Derek Bailey, Paul Lovens, Phil Minton, Phil Durrant, Steve Beresford, and Gerry Hemingway. Thanks to Rikskonserter Sweden and British Council.
JUNE 25 Tom Lee Music Hall (Sandell Workshop)
JUNE 25 The Ironworks (Sten Sandell Trio)
JUNE 25 The Ironworks (Müller/Lee/ Nilssen-Love/Butcher)
JUNE 26 The Ironworks (Berthling/Ljungkvist/Sandell)