Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mats Gustafsson: Stones

Mats Gustafsson: Stones

By John Eyles
January 14, 2013
View read count

Stones is a recording of the very first meeting of two remarkable saxophonists—legendary Swedish baritone and tenor player

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Mats Gustafsson and Montreal-based American

Colin Stetson

woodwinds

" data-original-title="" title="">Colin Stetson, a member of Arcade Fire's touring band as well as bass saxophonist of choice for an impressive list of musicians including

Laurie Anderson

violin

" data-original-title="" title="">Laurie Anderson, David Byrne and

" data-original-title="" title="">Tom Waits. The album's four tracks—some thirty-five minutes of music—were recorded live onstage at the Vancouver Jazz Festival in 2011 and feature the two saxophonists alone together.

Saxophone duos are comparatively rare, with many of them involving

Anthony Braxton

woodwinds
b.1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Anthony Braxton or

Evan Parker

saxophone, soprano
b.1944

" data-original-title="" title="">Evan Parker with others or together. Despite his vast discography, Gustafsson has rarely been drawn to the format—although he has often played in a trio with fellow Chicago Tentet saxophonists

Peter Brötzmann

woodwinds
1941 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Br?tzmann and

Ken Vandermark

saxophone
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Vandermark. With Gustafsson and Stetson alone onstage, wielding a baritone saxophone and a bass saxophone in front of an audience, there was clearly the potential for this encounter to become a testosterone-fuelled battle for supremacy between two gunslingers...

Miraculously, it never even approaches such a scenario. On the opening "Stones That Rest Heavily"—all the track titles were partly inspired by Gunnar Ekel?f (1907-1968), Sweden's first surrealist poet—instead of the deep, powerful tones of the two saxophones becoming akin to weapons, it is their warmth that predominates as the players metaphorically embrace one another, exchanging rich sustained notes and melodic phrases. Yes, each of them is packing an impressively powerful punch but, rather than directing them at each other, they work together to create beguiling music.

That goodwill and creativity continues on the remaining three tracks in a variety of forms. Each player occasionally employs his second horn, bringing freshness and variety to the music. At times they raise a smile with their antics, as on "Stones That Can Only Be," where they indulge in an extended spell of quacking at each other. The lack of a competitive edge does not mean the playing is bland. So, on the closing "Stones That Have Only," there is energetic, hard-edged playing from each musician, which verges on brutal at times but never turns nasty; its final passage brings the album to a suitably peaceful and harmonious conclusion. As Gustafsson comments of the whole encounter, "It was completely magic. All was there, the communication, the interaction, the music, the mystery." It is impossible to argue with a syllable of those sentiments. Very highly recommended.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Stones That Rest Heavily; Stones That Can Only Be; Stones That Need Not; Stones That Only Have.

Personnel

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds

Colin Stetson: alto and bass saxophones; Mats Gustafsson: tenor and baritone saxophones.

Album information

Title: Stones | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Rune Grammofon

PREVIOUS / NEXT

My True Story
< Previous

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba: Jama Ko
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.