Bertrand Gauguet

Early alto & soprano saxophone solo Recorded in 2004 inside two french chapels. "There are no tricks here, first and foremost ; Bertrand Gauguet has simply developed a weird array of techniques for his alto and soprano, which he exploits via close-miking. There are seven untitled tracks in 42-minutes, each one relentlessly exploring a different technical area : the restrained breath noises of the opening track, the superb low-end growl of the fourth, the chasm-like whooshing of the third, or the very high overtone range of the second. After multiple listens, a slight repetitiveness creeps in ; but overall it’s tight and focused stuff. Can we now speak of post-Butcher, post-Doneda saxophone ? Who knows. This is lovely, state of the art stuff, regardless. The kind of thing to play softly on your own, late at night, or blaring in the middle of the day, with the windows open and noises blending in. >> Jason Bivins (Signal to Noise #38 – summer 2005)