John Butcher

British saxophonist John Butcher was born in Brighton, and currently resides in London. He is most famous for his free improvisations, especially his solo performances, which involve the use of extended techniques such as multiphonics. He has also written pieces for Chris Burn's Ensemble, Polwechsel, and the Rova Saxophone Quartet.

He began playing saxophone while studying physics at Surrey University, gaining an enthusiasm for jazz through hearing music such as John Surman, Stan Tracey and Louis Moholo, and working in jazz groups of his own. A Ph.D, "Spin effects in the production and weak decay of heavy Quarks", was published in 1982, and after this, Butcher, who had continued to work in groups including Chris Burn's Jazz Ensemble, pursued a career in music.