Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » The Vandermark 5: Annular Gift

378

The Vandermark 5: Annular Gift

By

Sign in to view read count
The Vandermark 5: Annular Gift
The Vandermark 5's Annular Gift is its most accessible and swinging recording to date. Recorded live (one reason) in Krakow, Poland, the quintet has come together (reason two) as a true aggregate of players.

This is their fifteenth official release (there have been some CD-Rs and compilation discs) and third for the Polish label Not Two. The others were the sprawling and ultimately satisfying 12-CD collection of live dates at Alchemia in 2004 (since Alchemia, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm replaced trombonist Jeb Bishop in V5) and a double-LP, Four Sides Of The Story (2006).

Lonberg-Holm's voice has influenced the group since his inclusion on The Discontinuous Line (Atavistic, 2006), and the previous Beat Reader (Atavistic, 2008). From the opening "Spiel," an expanded Vandermark composition, he extends his cello technique into a world once inhabited by Jimi Hendrix. Later, in duo with Kent Kessler on "Second Marker," his electronics boost the dynamic bassist's solo. Their pairing evokes memories of John Coltrane's experimentations with two drummers.

But these interactions are but just pieces and parts of the whole. Vandermark writes intricate and challenging music for this ensemble that is likely to change rhythm and direction several times within a song. The ballad "Early Color" opens with a quiet grace, winds through a blue interlude, only to end in a full frontal attack of horns.

"Cement" opens with an inspired solo by drummer Tim Daisy to the crowd's delight, before the funky horns and Lonberg-Holm's pinging electronics chime in. The disc ends with "Cadmium Orange," a restless and somewhat spasmodic piece that finds Vandermark exercising his clarinet, before the piece resolves itself with what can be considered a V5 signature interlocking horn section. The saxophone combination of Vandermark and Dave Rempis is an enduring display of horsepower and bridges the worlds of jazz and rock with dramatic results.

Annular Gift just might be the finest offering by this longstanding ensemble.

Track Listing

Spiel (for Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill); Table, Skull, and Bottles (for Bruno Johnson); Early Color (for Saul Leiter); Second Marker (for Ab Baars); Cement (for Michael Haberz); Cadmium Orange (for Francis Bacon).

Personnel

Ken Vandermark: tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet; Dave Rempis: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone: Fred Lonberg-Holm: cello, electronics; Kent Kessler: bass; Tim Daisy: drums.

Album information

Title: Annular Gift | Year Released: 2009 | Record Label: Not Two Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.