Vandermark 5 | Four Sides To The Story | Not Two Records

Not Two, 2006 | MW 775-1 | LP

Double LP-SET ( vinyl record)

NotTwo Records extremely limited, outstandingly lavish 2- LP’s box-set, further pushes limits not only musical boundaries of improvised music but also the whole concept of conceptual package, as recently re-defined by its own issue of “Alchemia” by Vandermark 5. This exquisitely realized set includes 2 separate LP, housed together in a one-of-its-kind unique box with absolutely astonishing covert art. Comprehensive booklet with many personal insights from Ken Vandermark himself, rare pictures, interviews and essays from acclaimed critics, compliment the whole set.

Tim Daisy – drums | Kent Kessler – bass | Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello | Dave Rempis – saxophones | Ken Vandermark – saxophones, clarinets

Album 1 | Side 1 | Tracks: 1. Vehicle (for Magnus Broo) [08:55] 2. That Was Now (for the Volcano Suns) [09:30] Album 1 | Side 2 | Tracks: 3. Camera (for Edward Weston) [14:11] 4. Suitcase (for Ray Charles, Elvin Jones, and Steve Lacy) [07:18] Album 2 | Side 1 | Tracks: 5. Convertible (for Charles Eames) [08:47] 6. Burn Nostalgia (for Art Pepper) [07:01] Album 2 | Side 2 | Tracks: 7. Some Not All (for Phillip Wilson) [14:44] 8. Reciprocal (for Santiago Calatrava) [06:44]

All compositions by Ken Vandermark (ASCAP). Recorded: November 23, 2005 at the Alchemia, Krakow, Poland by Michał Rosicki. Mixed and mastered by Michał Rosicki (MAQ Studio Poland). Produced by Marek Winiarski. Front cover: “Szlak trafil” by Andrzej L.Turek (stick-in picture on paper 30cm x 30cm). Inside photos by Krzysztof Penarski, Bartosz Winiarski and Krzysztof Wesolowski. Graphic design by Andrzej L.Turek & Andrzej Wojnowski. Liner notes by Ken Vandermark and Wawrzyniec Makinia

When I look back

and think about the ideas we were dealing with a year ago, and when I listen to the recording held in that club, I’m confronted with the failures that are there; which is probably why I’d rather be doing something else than writing these liner notes right now. But I’m also excited by what I hear, that the start of the music by the new quintet was so strong. From night to night it continues to be, which is why after ten years this ensemble is still looking for it’s next gig- so that it can keep finding something different to say and hopefully pay some of the rent along the way.–  Ken Vandermark, Chicago, September 15, 2006)

The band delivers with their typical high energy and there isn’t a shred of tentativeness to the proceedings…Robert Iannapollo, All About Jazz)

 

Double LP version (incl. shipment cost world-wide)

$ 50.00
Out of Stock

One thought on “Vandermark 5 | Four Sides To The Story | Not Two Records

  1. Ken Vandermark has had a productive relationship with the Polish label Not Two, which put out the 12-disc boxed set of the complete Vandermark 5 at the Alchemia club in Krakow from 2004. The most recent collaboration has resulted in these two vinyl releases.

    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. One is featured per side and these pieces aren’t simply blowing vehicles. “Off/Set” starts out with drummers Michael Zerang and Tim Daisy laying down a groove that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Brotherhood Of Breath recording. It subsequently veers into free territory, some strong riffing passages and builds to a rousing conclusion. Even better is “The Number 41”; it starts out sounding like a New Orleans funeral march (with a terrific solo by trumpeter Magnus Broo) before kicking up the tempo for sequences in 5/4 and 6/8 that build to satisfying finish. This is one of the most effective groups in Vandermark’s vast array of projects.

    The second recording is a double LP of the Vandermark 5 recorded at Alchemia in November 2005. The earliest studio recording with Fred Lonberg-Holm’s cello replacing Jeb Bishop’s trombone was A Discontinuous Line from the end of 2006. Four Sides To The Story provides a valuable document of a transitory period for this band. It’s only appropriate that the first sound heard is a drone established by Lonberg-Holm that sets up “Vehicle”. The set is comprised of some older pieces and several tunes that would end up on A Discontinuous Line. What’s surprising is how quickly Lonberg-Holm was integrated into the group. The newer compositions show Vandermark writing harmonies for the unique properties that cello brings to the band, functioning as both a member of the frontline and as part of the rhythm section. These were all issues being worked out in performances like this one. The music is no less rich for it. The band delivers with their typical high energy and there isn’t a shred of tentativeness to the proceedings.

Leave a Review

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.