This gorgeous poster image was produced for a solo concert given by the maestro on 6th October 2023, under the auspices of The Unwrinkled Ear: two nights after the reunion show with Wolf Eyes, B. played one of his solo saxophone recitals at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles. So far, just two clips have turned up from this performance - and thanks again to McClintic Sphere for hunting these down and passing them on: a beautiful ballad structure (which I definitely recognise*) and a superb multiphonic piece. Filmed on an audience member's phone, these are far from professional, but they capture the sound pretty adequately.
The quality of the playing is not even remotely surprising - or not to anyone who has listened to any of B's previous solo recordings (live or otherwise). What is extremely heartening to see is that B's apparent physical problems of two days prior to this were an aberration of sorts: there looks to have been a chair available for his use during the solo recital - visible to his left, at the right of the "picture" in these two video clips - but he didn't need it, or at least not during these two pieces. The second number, especially, is very demanding from a technical point of view, requiring a substantial sample from the maestro's huge lexicon of extended techniques; and some of these necessitate quite a lot of physical exertion as well as a high degree of skill. This exertion, I am pleased to report, does not seem to trouble him.
I'm being realistic about this: none of us is immortal, and B's career is as finite as the next musician's; obviously, it will all end at some point. But there is a difference between knowing and accepting that, and having to deal with visual evidence of his struggling to fulfil engagements which have already been booked; the difficulties implied by what happened at the Wolf Eyes show are not something that any of B's admirers would wish for him. Clearly, some days are worse than others; but it does look as if the stumble-and-fall at the Zebulon Cafe was a one-off... for now.
This is arguably more reassuring in B's case than it would be for (just) any performer of his age, because unlike most musicians, the maestro is still pushing boundaries and striving to create new work even in his (academic) retirement. Terms such as Lorraine and Thunder Music have recently been added to the panoply of his existing compositional strategies, and his restlessly inventive mind shows no sign of slowing down. If his body is able to hold out for a while yet, this will mean that he can continue to lead from the front... and much as I might wish for him to enjoy some peace and quiet at his advanced age, I rather doubt that that is what he would wish for himself.
As for the music in these two clips - well, what more can we say at this point? B's approach to solo performance continues to be an inspiration: he sets himself a ridiculously high standard, and never fails to meet it. Heard here in an environment full of natural echo, carefully captured by multiple microphones (so that the percussive clacking of keys on the second piece is just as faithfully rendered as any of his actual notes), he displays yet again the immaculate skill and unmatched subtlety of expression that has been amazing us for decades now. Cherish him while you can.
***
McC also passed along to me a few other links at the same time - not to full sets but to "trailers"; but even these would seem to warrant a separate post in due course. The solo clips, in the meantime, demanded their own attention...
* I know for sure that I have heard this before, and I want to say that I've heard it on more than one occasion; but I can't identify it, for the time being. It sounds tuneful enough to be a standard, almost; and B. does play standards at his solos recitals, so we should never rule that out, but I think it's an original. His lyricism on alto is one of his more consistently underrated qualities (though not by me..!); but his original ballad structures tend to retain a level of abstraction that refuses to resolve into anything straightforwardly "melodic". I have a feeling that if I spent long enough trawling through my (admittedly rather large) collection, I would find this piece before too long. But I did have a quick attempt at it and was not able to do it. - As for the experiment in multiphonics, that would be harder to identify in principle: I believe that all of the solo series include at least one composition somewhat along these lines, and I am quite some way from being able to say with any confidence which one of them is being played here. Whatever it is, it sounds fantastic...
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