Sextessence - A Tribute To John Stevens and The SME (Mega Blowout Sale)
SKU
BPA 011
Aaron Bennet, saxophone
Jerome Bryerton, drums
John Butcher, saxophone
Danielle DeGruttola, cello
Henry Kaiser, guitar
Damon Smith, double bass
Kurt Newman, guitar (track 9)
“Sextessense is "a tribute to John Stevens and the SME" (the title refers of course to the two albums Stevens recorded with the Derek Bailey, Kent Carter, Evan Parker and Trevor Watts line-up of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble in 1973, Quintessence 1 and 2).
Stevens was one of the prime movers and arguably the most important catalyst in improvised music as it emerged in late 1960s London, and his SME remains one of free music's mythic acronyms, along with AMM, ICP, FMP, LAFMS and LMC. It's fitting then that Smith's tribute should notch up a few points of authentic Stevens street cred by recruiting former SME saxophonist John Butcher, who joins a stellar cast of West Coast improvisers – Aaron Bennet (sax), Jerome Bryerton (drums), Danielle DeGruttola (cello), Henry Kaiser (guitar) and Smith himself on bass – on these nine, lean, mean workouts.
It's rare to hear Butcher in the company of another saxophonist, so it's a special treat to hear him trade licks with Bennet. If the music seems pretty agile and spiky, altogether in a different ballpark from the more pared down stuff Butcher's been getting into in recent years, it's not surprising – it was recorded way back in 1999.
You might wonder why it's taken so long to see the light of day, but you should certainly rejoice that it has.”–Dan Warburton / Paris Transatlantic
- LabelBalance Point Acoustics