By Pat Sisson
On a warm Wednesday in September at Chicago's Empty Bottle, European
percussionists Paul Lytton and Paul Lovens banged, sawed, and just plain
attacked what could have been a yard sale's worth of equipment. It was
fantastic. Masters at the art of making noise, the fury and volume of their
movements was foiled by the stillness of the trio's third member. Ken
Vandermark stood between the entrenched drummers, clutching his saxophone and
searching for the right note to play.
The Bottle crowd, a mixed group of some of Chicago's most serious music fans,
sat transfixed, hanging on Ken's next note while they absorbed and dissected
the barrage of noise coming from both drummers. It looked as if Ken was about
to make a breakthrough, but after he exhaled and emitted a piercing wail from
his tenor sax, he looked like he hadn't found it.
But, as is usual for Vandermark, he just kept at it. Before the show, Ken explained how excited he was about this opportunity, this chance to play for the first
time with two master percussionists. He was going into the improvisations
without any plans or preparation and hoped that the players would find common
ground. By the end of the night, as he switched deftly between saxophones and a
clarinet, his playing had hit some incredible highs that left the audience
clapping and excited about what this trio could accomplish.
In many ways, the challenges Vandermark faced on that stage, and the way he
overcame them, mirror what this prolific jazzman has been doing his whole
career. He's always searching for the next step, and when he thinks he's
discovered a new direction in which to take his playing, he charges down it.
This tour and the recent Territory Band show during Chicago's Annual World
Music Fest were similar displays. While it was an amazing array of performers,
it was also an amazing feat of logistics and dedication, years in the making.
"I asked everyone way ahead of time to keep some time free," said Vandermark.
"That's the only way these things can happen."
Ken Vandermark sometimes seems like he would die if he took a break from
playing, like a shark that constantly needs to circle. Calling him one of the
hardest working players in the scene today wouldn't be a stretch -- consider
his schedule for the fall. After the Lytton-Lovens trio does a small U.S. tour, he sets off with the Territory Band, the large ensemble that he finances through his MacArthur grant. Then he's off to mix the new Vandermark 5 album. Afterwards, he'll travel to Europe for tours with the AALY trio and Spaceways, Inc., all the while maintaining a residency at the Empty Bottle when he's actually in Chicago.
Musicians always say they are happy to be wanted and to be playing, but can you reach a limit? You have to wonder how he can keep everything straight, how dozens of projects
and groups don't crossover in his mind. That, according to Vandermark, is what makes his schedule so interesting. Working with all of these bands at once keeps his music interesting, allowing him to find connections between different styles and players. "I think about what I know and what to expect of the people I am playing with,"
reflects Vandermark. "It's about not putting on a set of blinders. Sometimes the boundary lines get a little fuzzy." That gray area is where things get interesting.
"Look at this gig," he added. "I'm playing with two master percussionists.
How lucky is that?"
Vandermark still feels that exuberance when playing with new groups, an
endearing trait. Despite all of the accolades that he has received over the
years, he still considers himself a student. "That's why I try and play so much. I still have a lot to learn." Just ask him about Peter Brotzmann, and you'll understand.
"That man is one of the master artists of our time. I'm lucky to
be able to work with him."
"Not only is he on top of his game," he said of Brotzmann, "but he's the best
bandleader I've worked with. Modest to a fault." As Ken explained, he allows
everyone input, letting everyone in the group take solos and express their
ideas. He's also quite serious. Ken learned this the first time he met the German
saxophone legend. Brotzmann was playing with the drummer Hamid Drake at
Southport Studios in Chicago, and Ken heard this legendary hard-blowing force
craft a gut-wrenching ballad. "I went up and told him that he had played a great ballad," said Vandermark, "and he just stood there and didn't say a word. I felt great."
"He's focused. Everything else is just bullshit."
Lately, it seems that Vandermark has begun to find that kind of focus in his
own playing. "I think I am just starting to assimilate what may be the
directions that are my own," he said. He pointed to the composition "Rothko
Sideways", on the new Spaceways, Inc. album, as a sign of what may come.
" It's clear to me what kind of things I want to play, like a rhythmic
drive/open time with steady pulse," he said. "I'm looking for something that
goes from point A to B to C, something that tells a story."
Spaceways, Inc. which focuses on Sun Ra and Funkadelic covers, contains two
sidemen, bassist Nate McBride and drummer Hamid Drake, who are noted for their
rhythmic intensity. When you also take into account a newly formed group, the
Free Music Project, which will feature Vandermark and McBride alongside drummer
Paul Nilsen-Love, it appears he's embracing this new focus. Despite the new directions Vandermark may be embarking on, he still judges himself by the same high standard.
"What I look for when I play is hard to articulate," he said. "It's not just
that you played a good gig, it's that you find different ways to express
yourself."
With that in mind, he assessed the evening's performance. "I'm always happy when people come in and listen," he said. He had mentioned earlier that the only thing that really annoys him is when the audience has expectations. "If you let that [expectations] go, you'll get a lot more out of the music that's happening," he said. "For example, Brotzmann still gets asked about "Machine Gun", and people expect to hear that every night. That's missing so much of Peter's playing. It can sound like hocus pocus, and sometimes it is kind of like that," grinned Vandermark. "But it's not just blowing air and wiggling fingers."
Check out the latest Vandermark 5 CD Free Jazz Classics Vol. 1 & 2 on Atavistic.
Originally published in the the Nov-Dec issue of Chicago Jazz Magazine.
Photo Credit: Josephine Ochej
