Baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton has initiated a new project, Stone Cold Classics, that will comprise 13 solo performances by Sinton. The performances are being documented as a series of YouTube videos.
The project began on January 27 with the release of Sinton’s interpretation of “Projection 1” by 20th-century classical composer Morton Feldman, originally written as a solo piece for cello. Sinton has written several arrangements of “Projection 1” for baritone saxophone, and he has included three of them—titled as “realizations”—as part of Stone Cold Classics.
Sinton, who recently returned to music from a long hiatus, decided to take this avenue when he found that venues were reluctant to book a lesser-known avant-gardist. “I can’t seem to get on other folks’ radars,” he explains, “and venue owners are unwilling to take a chance on an artist who can’t guarantee them a large, paying audience. Rather than stay at home nursing grudges, I decided I’d take the second best option.”
In addition to the Feldman piece, the saxophonist’s videos thus far have included performances of Tim Berne’s “Screwgun,” Hilmar Jensson’s “International Four,” Anthony Braxton’s “Composition 26F,” and Steve Lacy’s “Wrinkles.” Sinton also plans to record pieces by jazz saxophonist/composers Roscoe Mitchell and Julius Hemphill, classical composers Giacinto Scelsi and David Lang, and Memphis soul composer Dan Penn.
Releases will continue each Monday through April 20 on Sinton’s YouTube channel. In addition, Sinton will release audio-only versions of the tunes on his Soundcloud.
Check out Sinton’s solo take on Tim Berne’s “Screwgun” below.