John McCowen has made a career of transforming the contrabass clarinet into an instrument all his own. Born in Carbondale and now based in Reykjavik, Iceland, the composer got involved with music as a hardcore vocalist in the mid-2000s, then spent several years playing saxophone and flute with stoner outfit Tweak Bird before turning his focus to the clarinet. In 2009, he was introduced to Eric Mandat, a professor at Southern Illinois University who specializes in extended clarinet techniques, and they started a musical relationship that extends to this day. McCowen would bring recordings of his own playing to private lessons with Mandat, who would then notate them. McCowen’s formative musical education began there, and would continue when he attended Mills College to study with avant-garde jazz luminary Roscoe Mitchell, an experience that has bolstered his constant desire to innovate.
Some of McCowen’s best early recordings can be heard on 2017’s Solo Contra (released by Chicago’s International Anthem label). Its three tracks act as a dialectic: “Fur Korv” is a contemplative drone, with every breath and key press deeply felt, “Chopper HD” is a noisier exploration of multiphonics, and “Berths 1-3” traverses both modes. Even when McCowen performs with another musician, as he did with Madison Greenstone on 2018’s Mundanas I-V (Edition Wandelweiser), his restraint highlights their instruments’ full capabilities rather than the musicians’ individual contributions. That album’s five tracks demonstrate mesmerizing patience and rigor while methodically showcasing the different tonal colors that the clarinet can provide. Last year’s Robeson Formants (Superpang) feels similarly educational; McCowen merges his contrabass clarinet with sine tones, and the composition becomes an exercise in hearing how the emerging sounds overlap.
McCowen’s most recent album, September’s Models of Duration (Astral Spirits/Dinzu Artefacts), is also his most accomplished. Two “Duration” pieces home in on his clarinet’s rumbling rhythmic pulses, while “Foggd” and “Hoskin” are blistering in their quietly abrasive multiphonics. McCowen will play works from the record at this Chicago Cultural Center performance, presented by local arts organization Lampo. After experiencing their striking austerity in a live setting, concertgoers might just walk away with a wholly new impression of the contrabass clarinet.
John McCowen Sat 10/29, 3 PM, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago Rooms, second floor north, 78 E. Washington, free, all ages
