His improvisations are as eruptive as they are inspired. His output rivals anyone recording music in any genre today, and it’s always exciting. He’s a world traveler and collaborator, forging creative pathways unlike anyone in jazz. So, why isn’t saxophonist Ken Vandermark peering from the cover of the major music publications?
The Chicago-based Vandermark, who’s slated to play Dazzle on Wednesday with the Dutch saxophonist Ab Baars, is lightheartedly resigned to his lack of greater recognition.
“The jazz media has boxed this music in a very strange place,” he says. “It isn’t about art but about stylistic concerns. When it becomes a style, it’s finished.”
Vandermark isn’t worried about “style.” He throws himself into a large number of projects, often not belonging to any single category but all bound by his commitment to adventure and exploration. If you find his name in the credits of a CD you know what you’re going to get: inventions from someone who’s been enamored of the world of sound since his jazz-critic father introduced him to the music in the ’70s.
It’s best to take the plunge into his music without any preconceptions and just accept the jarring consequences. His discs aren’t always easy to come by, although there are numerous titles.
My recent favorites include “Oslo/Chicago: Breaks” (Atavistic) under the name Powerhouse Sound, which features noisy ace improvisers based in Norway and Chicago, and “Goofy June Bug” (Wig), which features Baars and his trio. One minute you’ll hear the ghost of Albert Ayler, followed by a passage not unlike vintage Charles Mingus. There’s an evident admiration for Thelonious Monk as well as German sax behemoth Peter Brotzmann. Sometimes the music is beautiful, sometimes it’s an all-out assault, and often it’s both. But for Vandermark it’s all part of a grand tradition.
“I consider myself to be a jazz musician,” Vandermark answers when asked how he describes to someone unfamiliar with his work what he does. “All the musicians I saw (growing up) were amazing people, and I wanted to be part of that history, of innovation and individuality. There are a lot of people who are traditionalists. I can see it from a listener’s position. Some Americans’ idea of jazz might be Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center.”
He pauses, then laughs. “I just tell people that I’m a musician.”
The partnership with Baars, whose name is also attached to a massive output of sounds, is ongoing and stems from Vandermark’s admiration for the elder saxophonist.
“Playing with another saxophone player either works out or it’s kind of a catastrophe. His (Baars’) approach to the tenor is quite different. No one wants to hear the same solo twice. This is a perfect example of two different points of view arriving at different places in the improvising.”
Ultimately, it makes no difference to Vandermark if he’s working with his Chicago cohorts or with musicians from across the Atlantic, as long as he has the opportunity to pursue his many projects.
“It’s just about people who make amazing music,” he says.
(The Ab Baars Trio and Ken Vandermark, 7 p.m. Wednesday, The Dazzle Showroom, 930 Lincoln St. Tickets are $12. Call 303-839-5100.)
Set list.
Denver trumpeter Ron Miles has a few appearances scheduled with nationally recognized musicians this week. He’ll appear with spacey guitarist Bill Frisell at the Boulder Theater on Tuesday and with drummer Bill Goodwin at Dazzle on Friday and Saturday . . . Summit Jazz presents more “Swinging Jazz Concerts” at the Donald R. Seawell Grand Ballroom on Friday and Saturday, with reedman Ken Peplowski, vibraphonist John Cocuzzi and more . . . West African guitarist and singer Lionel Loueke plays a dinner concert at the Mount Vernon Country Club on April 15 . . . The Eighth Annual Jazz Celebration at Metro State will be held at the King Center April 16-17, featuring keyboardist Wayne Horvitz and vocalist Robin Holcomb
Bret Saunders’ column on jazz appears every other Sunday in A&E. Saunders is host of the “KBCO Morning Show,” 5:30-10 a.m. weekdays at 97.3-FM. His e-mail address is bret_saunders@hotmail.com
