Colin Stetson is a horn player of uncommon strength, skill, and genre-defying creativity. He composes and performs otherworldly songs that combine a mastery of circular breathing technique with percussive valve-work and reed vocalizations, making a polyphonic solo music that combines influences as diverse as Bach, early metal, American prewar gospel, and the explorations of Jimi Hendrix, Peter Brötzmann, and Albert Ayler. Stetson has defined his live set as “a study in extremes” and his performances have been compared to the Olympics as a result of the saxophonist’s intense physicality and endurance. As a result, Stetson was handpicked by Arcade Fire as both opening act and collaborator for their 2010 tour. Stetson has also worked extensively with Tom Waits, TV on the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, and Laurie Anderson.
Described by Pitchfork as “an audacious ringleader for new music,” Jon Mueller has been an active drummer and percussionist over the past twenty-five years. A founding member of the groups Pele, Collections of Colonies of Bees, and Volcano Choir, Mueller has additionally worked with members of the groups Swans, Wilco, Bon Iver, and Rhys Chatham’s Guitar Trio. Increasingly focused on a physical dialogue between situation and material, Mueller often bypasses standard approaches to percussion and considers the space in which that sound is presented in order to create a larger experience for those listening. This performance will be the New York premiere of “I Almost Expect To Be Remembered As A Chair,” based on Mueller’s 2010 CD The Whole.