Title: Chaos Theory: Song Cycles for Prepared Saxophone
Artist: Sam Newsome
Label: New Music
Formats: CD, Digital
Release date: June 3, 2019

Saxophonist and composer Sam Newsome is perhaps best known for pushing the envelope of his instrument, expanding the sound palette through a wide range of avant-garde techniques. His arsenal includes everything from electronic manipulation to multi-phonics and micro-tones to sound effects produced by percussive slap tonguing—all spliced into a multi-layered concoction that defies categorization. On Chaos Theory, Newsome goes one step further by augmenting his soprano sax with plastic tubes between the neck and mouthpiece, extending the range by two or more octaves. The album’s 15 tracks are representative of Newsome’s “improvisatory art music in which jazz functions more as a resource than a musical genre.” Many of the track titles portend what is to come, such as the Middle Eastern overtones of “Tel Aviv,” the increasingly frenetic sounds of “Marching Towards Insanity,” and mechanical drone underlying “Boiler Room Aesthetics.” Throughout, there are also tracks that fall within the more typical parameters of jazz, such as “Solo No. 1 (Naked Truth).” Chaos Theory should appeal to anyone interested in experimental music, especially those with a desire to tinker with instruments.

Reviewed by Brenda Nelson-Strauss