Colin Stetson

Colin Stetson’s recorded output, not to mention studio and live collaborations – with, among others, Lou Reed, LCD Soundsystem, The National, Chemical Brothers, Bon Iver, and Bill Laswell – has proven as prolific as its praiseworthy. Since the early 2000s, he’s gained a well-deserved reputation as an exceptional musician; his devotion to craft consummate, his commitment to innovation indisputable. Known for assertive, powerhouse performances on the saxophone – chiefly bass and alto, but also soprano, tenor, and baritone – for many years he was a wrestler, a sport whose “insane physical extremes” he credits with his style, alongside, among other things, a love for acts like Pixies and Fugazi. He’s similarly at home, though, whatever the musical context, on clarinet, flute, French horn, and cornet. This is something to which albums like New History Warfare Vols. 1-3 (2007, 2011, 2013) and 2017’s All This I Do for Glory powerfully attest, not to mention his striking – and diverse – contributions to film, TV and game scores. These include most recently 2018’s Hereditary and Red Dead Redemption 2, 2021’s Among The Stars, and 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre and The Menu.