The two weeks in Krakow, composing, then rehearsing/performing with this incredible group of musicians was truly one of the great experiences of my life. (Ken Vandermark )
RESONANCE
Label: Not Two, 2008
Catalogue No: MW-800
EAN: 5907589871494
Format: LP (vinyl record)
The two weeks in Krakow, composing, then rehearsing/performing with this
incredible group of musicians was truly one of the great experiences of my life.
(Ken Vandermark)
Side A
- Off-Set (for Olek Witynski & Jacek Zakowski)
Side B
- The Number 44 (for Anna Czarna Adamska)
All compositions by Ken Vandermark
Line-up:
Ken Vandermark (USA) tenor & baritone saxes, clarinet
Magnus Broo (Sweden) trumpet
Tim Daisy (USA) drums
Per-Âke Holmlander (Sweden) tuba
Dave Rempis (USA) tenor & alto saxes
Steve Swell (USA) trombone
Mark Tokar (Ukraine) bass
Mikołaj Trzaska (Poland) alto sax, bass clarinet
Yuriy Yaremchuk (Ukraine) tenor & soprano saxes, bass clarinet
Michael Zerang (USA) drums, percussion
...these are ten strong personalities, ten wild beasts who are gathering
together to forge something excellent. (Mikolaj Trzaska)
Recorded:
in Lvov, Ukraine on November 17, 2007
About:
When composing for a group, Ken Vandermark as a rule takes into account
factors such as each musician's approach to improvisation, personal tastes and
individual sound. So when he chose to compose for a tentet that included
musicians who were virtually an unknown quantity to him – musicians such as
Polish saxophonist/clarinetist, Mikołaj Trzaska and the Ukrainian duo, Yuriy
Yaremczuk on reeds and Mark Tokar on bass – it could have been seen as a foray
into relatively unknown territory. And it was to an extent, although the leader
had already forged an intimate understanding with some of the musicians who were
involved – percussionist Tim Daisy and saxophonist Dave Rempis are after all
fully-fledged members of the Vandermark 5 and Ken has worked with Swedish
trumpeter Magnus Broo in the Four Corners project. He is also familiar with the
work of tuba player Per-Âke Holmlander and percussionist Michael Zerang as they
play together in Peter Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet. But nobody in the tentet -
extraordinarily, given his reputation and work ethic - had previously performed
with New York-based trombonist, Steve Swell.
Vandermark completed the majority of the arrangements over the six day
period before the group arrived. Some of the compositions had been sketched out
previously and others were inspired by the atmosphere and people Ken associated
with Krakow, the historic old city that has become his second home.
When the musicians arrived, they found themselves immersed in a punishing
schedule that started with daily rehearsals that started at 10am – sharp.
Although always open to musically justified new ideas, Vandermark called for
extraordinary precision in these rehearsals. So it was unsurprising that many of
the musicians really let off steam in the freely improvised evening sets that
followed the rehearsals. But it didn't stop there. Many of the musicians
espoused sleep after the evening sets in favour of bison-grass-vodka-fuelled
discussions about music that lasted well into the night.
At the end of the week, music fans from all over the region flocked to the
concerts in Lviv and Krakow that the musicians had been rehearsing for over the
preceding five days, one group even chartering a jet from Georgia.
At the end of the week, when it was time to say goodbye, the bonds formed
between some of the musicians were so strong that some couldn't contain their
tears. But for many of these artists it was adieu rather than farewell as many
intend to build on their Resonance experience by collaborating with each again
in the future.
Philip Palmer, Jazzwise magazine
Review:
The Resonance Ensemble is a 10-piece band that was assembled from Vandermark
collaborators from Chicago, New York, Poland, Sweden and the Ukraine (where the
2008 concert featured on this LP was held). One might question how well an
ensemble like this might mesh but, surprisingly, the players are remarkably
attuned to each other and focused on the compositions. ...more
( Robert Iannapollo, All About Jazz)