Colin Stetson

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Colin Stetson
Colin-stetson DSC06834.jpg
Stetson at Aarhus Festival, Denmark, 2017
Background information
Born1975 (age 4849)
Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Instrument(s) Bass Saxophone
Labels Kartel Music Group (UK)
Website www.colinstetson.com

Colin Stetson (born 1975) [1] is a Canadian-American saxophonist, multireedist, and composer based in Montreal. [2] 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.

Contents

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), [3] 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. He attended the University of Michigan School of Music with a full scholarship, where he joined Transmission Trio. He also played with the groups Boostamonte and the People's Bizarre. [4] [5]

Stetson has performed and recorded with dozens of artists, including Tom Waits, Arcade Fire, TV on the Radio, Feist, Bon Iver, [6]

His extended saxophone techniques cover advanced circular breathing, multiphonics, altissimo, microtones, (reed) vocalizations, percussive valve-work, clicking keys, and growling. [7] 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." [8]

Solo career

Colin Stetson at Sled Island Music and Arts Festival, Calgary, 2013. Colin Stetson at Sled Island Festival Calgary, 2013..jpg
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 (one of 40) for the 2011 Polaris Music Prize. [9] On July 6, the album was named as a shortlisted (one of 10) nominee for the 2011 award. 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. [10] 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. [11]

April 2015 saw the release of Never Were the Way She Was , the first recording of Stetson's duo project with his ex wife and long-time collaborator Sarah Neufeld. [12]

Stetson's album All This I Do for Glory was released on April 28, 2017. [13]

While his recordings have been featured in numerous films and TV episodes, he has also produced original scores for a wide variety of films, where he has utilized a rich amalgam of his signature sonic characteristics, enhanced by various arrangement and instrumentation, orchestral and otherwise.

Discography

Colin Stetson with Ex Eye @ Strange Matter, 2017 Craig Zirpolo.jpg
Colin Stetson with Ex Eye @ Strange Matter, 2017

Solo albums/As leader

Soundtrack albums

Collaborations with other artists

As sideman

Filmography

Films

YearTitleDirectorNotes
2007Greyhounds (Short)Kelilyn Mohr McKeever
2012 Rust and Bone Jacques Audiard Composer, Musician: "All the Days I've Missed You (Ilaij I)"
2013 12 Years a Slave Steve McQueen Composer, Musician: "Awake on Foreign Shores"
Blue Caprice Alexandre Moors
2014 The Rover David Michôd Composer, Musician: "Time is Advancing with Fitful Irregularity", "As a Bird or Branch", "Groundswell", "Awake on Foreign Shores"
2015 La Peur Damien Odul
Vi ska bli rappare David Danial Composer, Musician: "Stand, Walk"
Denis the PirateSam MesserComposed with Sarah Neufeld
It's About Time (Short)Ivo Briedis
Closet Monster Stephen Dunn Composer, Musician: "The Stars In His Head (Dark Lights Remix)"
2016 Lavender Ed Gass-Donnelly Composed with Sarah Neufeld
Outlaws and Angels J. T. Mollner
The War Show Andreas Møl Dalsgaard & Obaidah Zytoon
2017DestierrosHubert Caron-GuayPartial score
2018 Age Out A.J. Edwards
Hereditary Ari Aster
We Rene Eller
2019 Color Out of Space Richard Stanley
2021 Mayday Karen Cinorre
2022 Texas Chainsaw Massacre David Blue Garcia
2022 The Menu Mark Mylod

Documentaries

YearTitleDirectorNotes
2012 Shut Up and Play the Hits Will Lovelace and Dylan Southerncast as himself
2014A City Is an IslandTimothy George Kellycast as himself
2015An American, Portrait of Raymond Luc LevasseurPierre Marier
New York Never SleepsAlfonso Nogueroles
ScrumPoppy Stockell
2016The Devil's Horn Larry Weinstein cast as himself
Uncle Howard Aaron Brookner Composer, Musician: "In Mirrors"

Television

YearTitleNetworkNotes
2014 The Blacklist

The Alchemist (No. 101)

NBC performer: " Warm Shadow" - uncredited
2017 Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams

Human Is

Channel 4 performer: "The rest of us" - uncredited
2018 The First Hulu, Channel 4
2020 Barkskins National Geographic
2021Among the StarsDisney PlusComposer for all 6 Episodes
TBA Uzumaki Adult Swim's Toonami

Video games

YearTitleStudioNotes
2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 [19] Rockstar Games

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References

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  8. Lane, Anthony (June 8, 2018). ""Hereditary" Delivers a New Kind of Horror". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved June 4, 2018.
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  10. ATP curated by Jeff Mangum, atpfestival.com; accessed April 19, 2015.
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  12. "Colin Stetson". Subbacultcha. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
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  16. 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.
  17. "CST080 ESMERINE: La Lechuza | Constellation Records". cstrecords.com. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
  18. Empire, Kitty (February 14, 2016). "Animal Collective: Painting With review – dada pop to pogo to". The Observer. ISSN   0029-7712 . Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  19. "All the artists set to appear on the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack". The Independent. October 25, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2023.