13 Friendly Numbers

First solo album, from 1991. For single and multi-tracked saxophones. First released as a CD on Acta (original cover shown) - then reissued on Unsounds with a new cover.. MOJO. "This is an essential document for anyone passionate about, or even mildly interested in, improvised music. Indeed, it's fair to say this set cut a new expressionist template for the saxophone. The sounds on the first track alone range from slab-like, low-voltage hums to clouds of didgeridoo huffing to the sounds of an old-skool mainframe breaking down". " PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ. "A British improviser whose playing is highly accomplished and strikingly individual, Butcher's recital is unlike any other solo-saxophone record. Nine of the 13 tracks are real-time solos, while the other four create some unprecedented sounds and textures through overdubbing: 'Bells And Clappers', for instance, piles up four tenors into a brittle choir of humming overtones that has a chilling, sheet-metal sound, while the amplification introduced into the very brief 'Mackle Music' is peculiarly disturbing. On the more conventional solo tracks, Butcher's mastery of the instrument creates a vocabulary which can accommodate pieces as disparate as 'Notelet', which is like a single flow of melody, and the explorations of single aspects of performing technique, as on 'Humours And Vapours' and 'Buccinator's Outing'. Assisted by a very clear and suitably neutral recording, this is a masterful record which should be investigated by anyone interested in free playing."

AllMusic provides comprehensive music info including reviews and biographies. Get recommendations for new music to listen to, stream or own.