Alliance for Improvised Music

New Show


Vandermark 5
June 16, time & $ TBA, Go! Studios (or alternate venue)


THE VANDERMARK 5 RIDE AGAIN (this is a slightly re-worked and shortened version of our earlier article on the Vandermark 5).

Last time I wrote about these guys, I mentioned that one thing AIM wanted to change was the local habit of never having jazz musicians return. Certainly Ken Vandermark has made it possible for us to start breaking that habit, this being his fourth stop here and the 5's second stop.

He was here in January of 98, as a special guest of Mats Gustafsson's AALY trio and they packed the house at 2 Way Pull, a show that certainly opened my ears. Granted, 2 Way Pull's not so hard to pack, but in July he packed the (much missed!) Lizard & Snake with his other main group, the DKV trio, another show that certainly opened my ears. Then the Vandermark 5 played the more spacious confines of the Cat's Cradle and drew well over 100. This time, they're hopefully playing Go! Studios, though if Go hasn't reopened, an alternate venue will be found, so keep your eye on the website or the Independent.

In the V5, Ken is joined by his standard compatriate, Kent Kessler, on bass, Dave Rempis on sax, Tim Mulveena on drums, and Raleigh's own Jeb Bishop on trombone and guitar. Kessler is a member of DKV with Ken, and has played with everyone on the Chicago scene and is becoming a frequently requested sideman among many of the top European improvisers (Peter Brotzmann, Georg Graewe). Jeb, whose also played with everyone on the Chicago scene, released an album of duets (with Mats Gustafsson, Wadada Leo Smith, and others) on Chapel Hill's Wobbly Rail Records.

With the Vandermark 5, in a lot of ways, the real stars are the compositions, showcased on their two Atavistic cd's: Single Piece Flow and Target or Flag. Every piece on the two cd's is dedicated to someone -- from obvious influences like Cecil Taylor and Johnny Hodges to underrated jazz musicians and teachers like Bill Barron, Jim Baker, and Alan Dawson to less expected influences like Jackie Chan. Moods and styles shift regularly within a piece. Abstract and avant one minute, gutbucket horn charts the next, fierce guitar/sax interplay after that. I've never heard him say so, but I can't help but think that this is the group which best allows Vandermark to incorporate all the ways he likes to express himself, all the styles which have influenced him, and all the angles he likes to approach music from. Interestingly, their show at the Cradle last year showcased a more abstract and quiet side of the quintet, no doubt showing the increasing influence of the European avant-garde musicians on the Chicago scene.

I know these guys love to come down here because of the great audiences who know how to listen to and participate in the improvisational process. So let's keep our good reputation!


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