Saxophonist and composer Neil Welch is a Seattle-based artist whose work is rooted in improvisation, using a variety of sound techniques that explore deep resonances within the saxophone. His work embraces a variety of musical styles, spanning avant-garde jazz, modern composition, solo acoustic saxophone and electronic sound processing. He performs as a solo artist, in addition to the longtime drum/saxophone collaboration Bad Luck. You can buy his music directly via BandCamp.
This recorded work is a series of acoustic improvisations, documented in a single performance while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each piece navigates a varied sonic landscape, with techniques that include: mouthpiece only, singing into the instrument, conical air flow migrations without the mouthpiece, pushing air in and out of a grouping of saxophone necks, pitched melody, and multiphonic clusters. Saxophone voices used include the soprano, alto, tenor and bass saxophones, at times modified to include items such as: scrap metal, noah bells, a beer can, harmon mute and tin foil.
With the Chapel closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wayward Music Series moves from the concert hall to the living room. In place of our usual ten monthly concerts, Nonsequitur is commissioning ten Seattle artists each month to create a series of streaming audio sessions of previously unreleased material.