jazz/improv
9:30 – 12:30am
$15 or b/o
rob chalfen &
subconsciouscafe new chamber music
presents
-THE VANDERMARK 5!
featuring KEN VANDERMARK – tenor sax
& & & & & & & & & & & & & &
Jeb Bishop - trombone
Kent Kessler - bass
Tim Daisy - drums
Dave Rempis - alto/tenor saxophone
Ken Vandermark (reeds) formed the Vandermark 5 in the Spring of 1996 as an outlet for compositional and improvisational ideas he’d developed over years of work with such renowned bands as the NRG Ensemble, the Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, the AALY Trio, the Vandermark Quartet, The Steelwool Trio, Cinghiale, Steam, the Barrage Double Trio, The Sound In Action Trio, and Tripleplay. Looking for a combo with the capability to sound like a large ensemble, he chose four exceptional musicians who have years of performance experience with different kinds of improvised music to join him on the project: Jeb Bishop (trombone), Kent Kessler (bass), Tim Daisy (drums), and Dave Rempis (alto/tenor saxophone) [Mars Williams was replaced by Dave Rempis in March of 1998]. The range of instrumentation and stylistic potential contained in this unit has allowed Vandermark to write charts that run the gamut of musical possibilities, incorporating elements of jazz history, contemporary composition, funk, rock, and traditional music from around the world into the ensemble’s material. The focus remains, however, on improvisation, and he has allowed ample room for the members of the group to interpret and reinterpret his writing with their spontaneous ideas.
The Vandermark 5 has always concentrated on live performance as a means to hone its skills and has played regularly since its inception (of special importance is their ongoing Tuesday night series at the Empty Bottle in Chicago that began in November of 1996 and has continued to this day). In December of 2001, Tim Daisy became the new drummer for the band, bring a new voice and set of ideas to the group’s sound.
The Vandermark 5’s music has been called “The most consistently exciting stuff I’ve heard by any small U.S. band since the Art Ensemble of Chicago.” (Cadence Magazine, June 97).
Production: Rob Chalfen – robchalfen@hotmail.com