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About Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark was born on September 22, 1964 in Warwick, Rhode Island and began playing trumpet in the fourth grade, switching to the tenor saxophone at age 16. Since 1982 he has been seriously exploring the possibilities of improvised music.
During the years 1983-1986 Ken led the group Fourth Stream in Montreal, where he studied and graduated with a B.A. in Film and Communications from McGill University. During that time he also took saxophone lessons with George Garzone in Boston.
From 1986-1989 he lived in Boston and was the leader of the trio Lombard Street. During this period he also began studying the bass clarinet.
In the Fall of 1989 Ken moved to Chicago and is now working with a variety of improvising ensembles, including the Vandermark Five, FME, the Territory Band, the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet and Reed Trio (with Mats Gustafsson), the Nilssen-Love/Vandermark Duo, Free Fall, the DKV Trio, Spaceways Inc., the Sound In Action Trio, School Days, and solo performances. He added to Bb clarinet to his instrumental arsenal during 1992. Ken was selected as one of the “Chicagoans of the Year in the Arts: 1994" by the Chicago Tribune (Jan. 1, 1995) for his work with the Vandermark Quartet.
His group the Vandermark 5 was selected for inclusion the “Art In Chicago: 1945-1995" exhibition held at the Museum of Contemporary Art in that city from Nov. 16, 1996 to Mar. 23, 1997.
In addition to the regularly working groups mentioned above, Ken has been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the most highly respected national and international improvising musicians in the world.
Aside from the schools of music influenced by the history of jazz, his music has been greatly impacted by sources like Mississippi Fred McDowell, James Brown, John Cage, the Ex, Gyorgy Ligeti, Sly and the Family Stone, Morton Feldman, Lee Perry, and various traditional musics from around the world.
Since the beginning of 1996 he and the writer John Corbett have been co-organizers of the Empty Bottle “Wednesday Night Jazz Series," concerts that continue to bring improvisers from Chicago, North America, and Europe to audiences on a weekly basis. Starting in January of 2002, Ken became the head curator of these performances, and he began directing the “Chicago Improvisers Series" held on Tuesday nights at that venue. In conjunction with this programming he and John have organized seven international jazz festivals (May of 1997-2000, April 2001-2003), all presented at the Empty Bottle and Chicago Cultural Center.
New City has selected Ken as one of its Music 45, a list of 45 Chicagoans having the greatest impact on the nation
For more information contact All About Jazz.
