| "Live review: V5 in Alchemia" published on 03-20-09 by Improjazz Magazine |
| "Live Review: V5 in Cadiz, Spain." published on 03-09-09 by Diariobahiadecadiz.com |
| "Live review (German): V5 at Jazz-Fabrik" published on 02-03-09 by main-rheiner.de |
| "Review: Beat Reader (Italian)" published on 05-27-08 by AllAboutJazz.com (Italy) |
| "Review: Beat Reader" published on 02-13-08 by DustedMagazine.com |
| "Review: Beat Reader" published on 01-23-08 by All About Jazz |
| "Review: 'Target or Flag'" published on 05-14-07 by Jazznet |
| "The Vandermark 5 in Pittsburgh" published on 02-17-07 by jazztimes.com |
| "Twisted Lines: The Vandermark 5" published on 02-15-07 by Washington Post Express |
| "V5: Pittsburgh show preview" published on 02-15-07 by Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |
| "Jazzers Rock Out in Somerville" published on 02-12-07 by Boston Globe (SoundEffects) |
| "V5: Detroit show preview" published on 02-07-07 by Detroit Metro Times |
| "V5: NYC/Brooklyn show preview" published on 01-26-07 by TimeOutNY |
| "Review: A Discontinuous Line" published on 01-20-07 by AllAboutJazz.com |
| "Review: A Discontinuous Line (Danish)" published on 12-15-06 by Jazznet |
| "Review: Alchemia (Danish)" published on 11-04-06 by Jazznet |
| "Review: The Color of Memory (Danish)" published on 11-02-06 by Jazznet |
| "Review: Free Jazz Classics 3&4 (Danish)" published on 11-01-06 by Jazznet |
| "Ken Vandermark does it all - because he can" published on 06-23-06 by City Paper |
| "REVIEW::Free Jazz Classics 3&4" published on 06-01-06 by theWIRE |
| "Review: Free Jazz Classics Vol. 3&4" published on 05-25-06 by AllAboutJazz.com |
| "review: Live at the Woodruff Bldg." published on 02-21-06 by Metro Pulse (Knoxville) |
| "Review: The Color of Memory" published on 02-16-06 by PitchforkMedia.com |
| "review: Live at Underlying Themes" published on 02-10-06 by Lexington Herald-Leader |
| "NEW LINEUP, NEW TEXTURES FOR VANDERMARK 5" published on 02-03-06 by Boston Globe |
| "review: The Color Of Memory" published on 02-03-06 by WashingtonPost.com |
| "Vandermark 5 Gets Its Game On" published on 02-03-06 by Lexington Herald-Leader |
| "Giving Everything the Supercharged Treatment, Even Ballads" published on 02-02-06 by New York Times |
| "A Constant Search for New Directions" published on 01-30-06 by The New York Sun |
| "The Fresh Smell of Jazz" published on 01-28-06 by TheLiveMusicReport.com |
| "V5 Live at the Turf Club, Minneapolis" published on 01-27-06 by HowWasTheShow.com |
| "review: The Color Of Memory" published on 01-26-06 by Toronto Eye |
| "Head Cheese" published on 01-25-06 by Detroit Metro Times |
| "The Color of Memory: review (Italian)" published on 12-19-05 by AllAboutJazz.com (Italy) |
| "Review: Alchemia (Russian)" published on 11-29-05 by Diapazon.net |
| "Review: V5 Live in Lviv (Russian)" published on 11-19-05 by Dzyga.com.ua |
| "V5 live at Bogui Jazz (Madrid)" published on 11-17-05 by Tomajazz.com |
| "Review: The Color of Memory" published on 11-12-05 by AllAboutJazz.com |
| "KV Interview" published on 11-08-05 by Magnet |
| "V5-Alchemia: review" published on 10-17-05 by adamar.com |
| "Review: The Color of Memory" published on 09-22-05 by AllMusic.com |
| "Review: The Color of Memory" published on 09-12-05 by AllAboutJazz.com |
| "Alchemia: review" published on 08-25-05 by AllAboutJazz.com |
| "Alchemia: review (Spanish)" published on 08-05-05 by tomajazz.com |
| "Review: Elements of Style...Exercises in Surprise" published on 10-01-04 by Downbeat |
| "Review: Elements of Style...Exercises in Surprise" published on 09-01-04 by Tomajazz.com |
| "Alchemia, Krakow, 15-19.03.2004" published on 05-01-04 by Jazz & Classics (Poland) |
| "El asombro que llega del vacio" published on 11-15-03 by Diario de Sevilla |
| "Review: Free Jazz Classics" published on 04-01-03 by Downbeat |
| "OPEN-MINDED JAZZ" published on 02-21-03 by Boston Phoenix |
 |
| "Review: Free Jazz Classics" |
| Published on 10-01-02 by The Wire |
| Writing credit: John Cratchley |
These two CDs first emerged as limited edition 'bonus' discs packed with the first 1000 copies of The Vandermark 5's last two albums, Bum The Incline and Acoustic Machine. They raised such a clamour from Vandermark fans coming late to the feast that Atavistic elected to make them generally available as a double CD set. Mark it up as a triumph of judgment over marketing. Saxophonist and composer Ken Vandermark rearranged 13 classic free jazz compositions for his quintet and recorded them live at his regular Tuesday night gig at Chicago's Empty Bottle.
Free Jazz Classics takes in everything from Sun Ra's "Saturn" via Eric Dolphy's "Gazelloni" to Don Cherry's "There Is The Bomb". Vandermark takes in his stride all the stylistic differences encompassed by such disparate expressions of free. He makes the music his own, revelling in the opportunities for improvisation encoded in these respective pieces, even as he enshrines their original essences. His group - Jeb Bishop on trombone, Kent Kessler on bass, Tim Mulvenna on drums, Dave Rempis on alto and tenor sax and Ken Vandermark on tenor sax, B flat and bass clarinet - rip into the project like men possessed.
Disc one leads with Ornette Coleman's "Happy House", immediately setting the standard for all that follows. Braxton's "69L" draws out some outstanding bass clarinet work from Vandermark, whose speed of mind closes the gap between technique and thought process. The quintet match his every turn, moving from melancholy to anarchic celebration in a quicksilver instant as they work through Cecil Taylor's "Conquistador", Joe McPhee's "Goodbye Tom B" and Lester Bowie's "New York Is Full Of Lonely People".
The second CD delivers Archie Shepp's "Wherever Junebugs Go", Carla Bley's "King Korn/Calls", Frank Wright's "The Earth/Jerry", Jimmy Guiffre's "Scootin' About" and Julius Hemphill's "CME/G Song". Both he and altoist Rempis quote styles freely. Hear how Rempis drops Dolphy on the Sun Ra track, while Vandermark's clarinet mimics Guiffre on the Taylor piece.
Such playfulness reduces the risk of the project degenerating into worthy dues paying. Vandermark surrenders himself up totally to the spirit of a piece. In the process of passing into Vandermark's host body, the piece effectively writes itself anew. |
|
| |
