Montreal-based saxophonist Colin Stetson mostly played with rock musicians
(Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, TV on the Radio, David Byrne, LCD Soundsystem, National, Godspeed You Black Emperor)
debuted with Slow Descent (Flying Tigers, 2003) but his claim to fame
came with the
"New History Warfare" series:
Volume 1 (Aagoo, 2007),
Volume 2 - Judges (2011),
and
Volume 3 - To See More Light (Constellation, 2013),
collections of experiments in expanding the range of the saxophone.
In reality, the best examples of his playing might be the two ten-minute pieces of
the EP Those Who Didn't Run (2011).
Stones (2011) was a collaboration with Mats Gustafsson.
Never Were The Way She Was (Constellation, 2015) was a collaboration with
Arcade Fire's violinist Sarah Neufeld.
The solo All This I Do For Glory (52Hz, 2017) contains six eclectic
originals played without overdubs on alto, tenor and bass saxes and contrabass clarinet.
Stetson also formed the post-metal band Ex Eye with
drummer Greg Fox, multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily and guitarist Toby Summerfield. They debuted with Ex Eye (2017).
Nethering (recorded in 2018) documents a session among Colin Stetson (sax), Trevor Dunn (bass) and Greg Fox (drums).
Chimaera I (Room40, 2022)
is devoted to drone works for solo saxophone, such as
the 20-minute Orthrus and the 21-minute Cerberus.
When We Were That What Wept for the Sea (2023) indulged in his
brainy form of minimalist repetition that is also occasionally
oneiric (Infliction, Long Before the Sky Would Open
