John Butcher Group:
Chris Burn – piano, Gino Robair – percussion
John Butcher – saxophones & pre-recordings
John Edwards – bass
Thomas Lehn – synth, Dieb 13 – turntables
Clare Cooper – harp/ghuzeng
Adam Linson – bass and electronics.

somethingtobesaid
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Recorded in November 2008 in concert at the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

[from John Butcher's website 19 August 2008]

OCTET
November sees the first performances of my, as yet un-named, octet. It stems from a commission by Graham McKenzie for a new work at this year’s Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

The finished piece will be premiered at the HCMF, with an “in-progress” version at November Music in Den Bosch and an evening of sub-groupings at the BimHuis.

The line-up is a mixture of some very long-time colleagues, and some more recent encounters.

John Butcher – saxophone
Chris Burn – piano
Gino Robair – percussion
John Edwards – bass
Thomas Lehn – synth
Dieb 13 – turntables
Clare Cooper – harp/guzheng
Adam Linson – bass and electronic processing

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Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival

CREATIVE ARTS BUILDING RECITAL HALL 11PM, Tickets £12 (£10 concession)

John Butcher Composition for eight musicians
(HCMF commission) WORLD PREMIERE

John Butcher saxophones
Clare Cooper harp / guzheng
Chris Burn piano
dieb13 turntables
John Edwards double bass
Adam Linson double bass / electronics
Gino Robair percussion / energised surfaces
Thomas Lehn analogue synthesiser

In contrast to composition, the reasons for most events in a group improvisation are only born in the moment just before their sounds are revealed – and musical details can quickly evolve beyond any one person’s pre-conceptions. I hope that this new work, a composition for eight highly individual improvisers, maintains faith in these special qualities whilst steering the performers through some of my personal concerns, taking in a few places less commonly visited by spontaneous consent alone.
John Butcher

Link to Signal to Noise Interview with Butcher (Fall 2004 Issue)