Colin Stetson
Canadian-American musician
Musical artist
Colin Stetson (born March 3, 1975)[ 1] [ 2] is an American saxophonist , multireedist , and composer based in Montreal.[ 3] [ 4] He is best known as a regular collaborator of the indie rock acts Arcade Fire , Bon Iver , Bell Orchestre , and Ex Eye. In addition to saxophone , he plays clarinet , bass clarinet , French horn , flute , and cornet .
Stetson has released various solo releases, including his debut and subsequent albums New History Warfare Vol. 1, 2, & 3, a collaborative studio album with violinist Sarah Neufeld entitled Never Were the Way She Was (2015), Sorrow: A Reimagining of Henryk Górecki's 3rd Symphony (2016),[ 5] and All This I Do for Glory (2017). Since 2013, Stetson has contributed the scores to several films and television series.
Background
Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and currently based in Montreal, Quebec , Stetson started taking lessons at age 15.[ 2] He attended the University of Michigan School of Music with a full scholarship, where he joined Transmission Trio.[ 6] He also played with the groups Boostamonte and the People's Bizarre.[ 3]
Stetson has performed and recorded with dozens of artists, including Tom Waits , Arcade Fire , TV on the Radio , Feist , and Bon Iver .[ 7]
His extended saxophone techniques cover advanced circular breathing , multiphonics , altissimo , microtones , (reed) vocalizations, percussive valve-work, clicking keys, and growling .[ 8] The overall effect led The New Yorker film critic Anthony Lane to describe Stetson's score to the film Hereditary as having been seemingly "scored for violins, percussion, a humpback whale, and bats."[ 9]
Solo career
Colin Stetson at Sled Island Music and Arts Festival, Calgary, 2013.
His first solo album, New History Warfare, Vol. 1 , was released in 2008. His second and third albums, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges and New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light , were released by Constellation Records in early 2011. On June 16, the album was named as a longlisted nominee for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize ,[ 10] and shortlisted on July 6.[ 4]
Stetson was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival that he curated in December 2011 in Minehead , England.[ 11] The final album of the trilogy, New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light , was released by Constellation Records in April 2013, and was a longlist nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize .[ 12]
April 2015 saw the release of Never Were the Way She Was , the first recording of Stetson's duo project with his wife and long-time collaborator Sarah Neufeld .[ 13] Stetson's album All This I Do for Glory was released on April 28, 2017.[ 14] In 2022 he released the drone-inspired album Chimæra I .[ 15] It was followed a year later by the minimalist When We Were That What Wept for the Sea .[ 16] In September 2024, Stetson released The Love It Took to Leave You .[ 17]
Discography
Colin Stetson with Ex Eye @ Strange Matter, 2017
Solo albums/As leader
Soundtrack albums
Collaborations with other artists
As sideman
Filmography
Film
Documentary film
Year
Title
Director
Notes
2012
Shut Up and Play the Hits
Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern
cast as himself
2014
A City Is an Island
Timothy George Kelly
cast as himself
2015
An American, Portrait of Raymond Luc Levasseur
Pierre Marier
New York Never Sleeps
Alfonso Nogueroles
Scrum
Poppy Stockell
2016
The Devil's Horn
Larry Weinstein
cast as himself
Uncle Howard
Aaron Brookner
Composer, Musician: "In Mirrors"
2024
Martha
R. J. Cutler
Television
Video game
References
^ "BIO" . Colin Stetson . Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ a b "Colin Stetson biography" . matrix-music.com . Retrieved September 20, 2024 .
^ a b Andrews, Jeff (May 5, 2017). "Colin Stetson Makes You Forget Everything You Knew About the Saxophone" . www.vice.com . Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ a b Everett-Green, Robert (September 16, 2011). "Is Colin Stetson's music Canadian enough for the Polaris?" . The Globe and Mail . Retrieved September 20, 2024 .
^ "Colin Stetson Reimagined a 1976 Polish Symphony as an Electronic Black Metal Opus with Saxophones" . www.vice.com . April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ Huey, Steve. "Transmission Biography" . AllMusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved August 8, 2013 .
^ Michaels, Sean (March 24, 2011). "Bon Iver announces details of second album" . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ Dennis, Zel (February 6, 2012). "Colin Stetson - The History of Warfare Volume 2 - Judges" . modernbarisax.com . Retrieved September 22, 2014 .
^ Lane, Anthony (June 8, 2018). " "Hereditary" Delivers a New Kind of Horror" . The New Yorker . ISSN 0028-792X . Retrieved June 4, 2018 .
^ "2011 Polaris Music Prize Long List announced" . AUX.TV . Archived from the original on October 2, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2016 .
^ Robb, John (August 30, 2011). "All Tomorrows Parties December line up announced" . Louder Than War . Retrieved September 20, 2024 .
^ "Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2013 Long List" Archived June 18, 2013, at the Wayback Machine . Exclaim! , June 13, 2012.
^ Mondalski, Mateusz (August 27, 2016). "Colin Stetson" . Subbacultcha . Retrieved July 16, 2020 .
^ Mejia, Paula (April 20, 2017). "Review: Colin Stetson, 'All This I Do for Glory' " . NPR . Retrieved May 6, 2017 .
^ Blackwell, Matthew. "Colin Stetson: Chimæra I" . Pitchfork . Retrieved September 20, 2024 .
^ Quietus, The (May 11, 2023). "Colin Stetson — When We Were That What Wept For The Sea" . The Quietus . Retrieved September 20, 2024 .
^ Cook, Paul (September 14, 2024). "Colin Stetson – The love it took to leave you - Joyzine" . joyzine.org . Retrieved September 20, 2024 .
^ "Hereditary review: The singularly most terrifying horror film in years" . The Independent . June 19, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ Fordham, John (January 17, 2013). "Colin Stetson/Mats Gustafsson: Stones – review" . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ Monroe, Jazz (April 7, 2023). "Tim Hecker: No Highs review – ambient music that reflects our polluted world" . The Guardian . ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ "CST080 ESMERINE: La Lechuza | Constellation Records" . cstrecords.com . Retrieved April 26, 2016 .
^ Empire, Kitty (February 14, 2016). "Animal Collective: Painting With review – dada pop to pogo to" . The Observer . ISSN 0029-7712 . Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
^ Mateo, Alex (July 26, 2024). "Uzumaki Anime's Trailer Reveals September 28 Premiere on Toonami" . Anime News Network . Retrieved July 27, 2024 .
^ "All the artists set to appear on the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack" . The Independent . October 25, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2023 .
External links
Discography
Solo albums/as leader Collaborative albums As sideman Scores Related articles
Studio albums Film scores EPs Singles Related articles
International National Artists Other