Articles

Free Music Ensemble: Cuts

By Andrey Henkin

Ken Vandermark is not one to limit himself to easy, comfortable situations. As successful as the Vandermark 5 is, it presents only one side to his composing and playing. With the Free Music Ensemble, a cooperative trio with bassist Nate McBride and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, listeners, whether on their second disc Cuts or live at Tonic mid September, can hear a more visceral, looser Vandermark, happy to be swept up by the improvisational thrusts of his fellow musicians.

Free Music Ensemble: Cuts

By Paul Olson

The moniker of Chicago reeds player Ken Vandermark's Free Music Ensemble is somewhat misleading. Yes, the music of this trio of Vandermark, Chicago bassist Nate McBride, and Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love is as improvisation-based as any Vandermark band to date. The very nature of the group's musical process ensures that every FME performance is a unique one. And yes, their stylistic variety and constructive openness is vast enough to be seemingly without limit. Sounds free enough, doesn't it?Yet ...

Free Music Ensemble: Underground

By AAJ Staff

The content on the Free Music Ensemble's Underground pays tribute to four innovators of free jazz and improvised music: saxophonist and trumpeter Joe McPhee, percussionist Paul Lytton, guitarist Joe Morris and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann. As performed by a group of musicians well-steeped in the unpredictability of free jazz, the music on Underground is geared towards connoisseurs of such tastes and textures.

With Ken Vandermark on reeds, Nate McBride on bass and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, the FME does a thorough ...