Vandermark's FME - Kalamazoo

Frisco · December-5th-2003, 06:53 PM

I think that you folks in Boston, NYC, DC, etc... are in for a treat with the Ken Vandermark "Free Music Ensemble". Particularly if you have enjoyed some of Ken's higher energy endeavors. Actually, there was a great deal of written music for a band called Free Music Ensemble, and not all high energy. There were some tender and beautiful sections as well. Vandermark on four reeds - tenor and baritone saxes, clarinet, and bass clarinet, with Nate McBride on bass, and Paal Nilsson-Love (from Norway) on drums.

The trio weaved in and out of written and free sections, rocking and swinging parts, raucous and whispering moments. Ken sounded excellent on the bartitone with some gutsy playing, but also a really nice ballad piece on bari midway through the second set. Nilsson-Love was full of energy and creativity, using the tiniest hi-hat I've ever seen. The music moved and flowed so effortlessly that the (approx.) 45 minute sets seemed to be over in a minute.

Well worth the two hour drive (Oh my God, Paul B, there I go again. I MUst be bored) from Detroit. And the venue, Kraftbrau, had some wonderful home brews on tap, particularly the Dopplebock. Thank God I didn't have to drive home at the end of the night.

Captain Hate · December-5th-2003, 07:03 PM

This group will play the Beachland Ballroom a week from today; looking forward to it, even though I saw them not too long ago. Still, anything in this backwater......

Cem · December-5th-2003, 07:27 PM

I'd drive down as far as Portland, OR to see Vandermark (I have before). Never seen McBride live. I'm curious and jealous. Proud to say, I've seen School Days at least 10 times (18 sets). Not a dull moment. Ken and Paal have ingested the whole history of the music and play with such depth and intensity, imo, they're impossible to ignore or dislike.

Nate Dorward · December-12th-2003, 12:46 PM

The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer.

Cem · December-12th-2003, 02:13 PM

Good point, Nate. I do believe they'll be around a long time, producing vital work.

Nate Dorward · December-12th-2003, 09:30 PM

Cem--oh, well, my point was just that...well I don't dislike them, in fact I think Nilsson-Love is excellent, but Vandermark's never done all that much for me. I heard the FME disc on Okkadisk & wasn't too excited by it, so gave this group a pass when they came through town last week.

Captain Hate · December-13th-2003, 10:03 AM

Here's a write-up of last night's concert that I sent to a friend:

I was late getting to the club because of a situation at work, which turned out to be a blessing because the warm-up act might have been the most obnoxious "artist" I've ever had to briefly endure; I took one step inside and just turned around until it was over. I don't even know who it was and want to keep it that way; it was just this heavily amplified screaming that had no value whatsoever.

A friend of mine didn't show up because he said that the FME might not go on until 10:30, which is exactly what happened. They started out with a song, "Kiosk" I think was the name although I may have misunderstood and it was an uptempo workout with KV on baritone getting some nice animated overtones out of it. After his solo Nilssen-Love continued with a very straight ahead Buddy Rich-esque solo that was unexpected but very well done. The song either morphed into another one or gradually slowed the tempo until Vandermark came back on clarinet, which was unusually ineffective for me tonight. Hardly anybody ever shows up for these gigs and you can get really close to the band; plus they play on the floor instead of a stage, so accoustics are very good. The clarinet just didn't project the way that Vandermark has used it in the past; maybe it was just the song. Nate McBride was much more animated than when I saw him a while ago with Vandermark and Tim Daisy; either bowing or strumming his sound really projected effectively. I take back some (not all) of the negative things I've said and thought about him in the past. Then Vandermark switched to his tenor, which I feel is his most proficient horn; I think he effectively makes use of the lower register very well like Rollins does (or did when I liked his playing). When you get down to it, KV is really kind of an R&B type horn player in that he plays a series of motifs that he really leans into and uses them to drive the song forward. The first song(s) eventually concluded with KV honking away on tenor and another began (a McBride composition) with the bass sparsely backed by Nilssen-Love who, after the first solo, played very restrained but very effectively on his tiny drum kit (yes the high-hat was very small as Pat Frisco posted). Vandermark came in on bass clarinet and began some interesting exchanges with McBride behind an unusual rhythm set up by Nilssen-Love. Gradually the bass and drums fell away leaving KV to put together a nicely sputtering solo featuring a lot of slap-tonguing. Eventually the others came back and
brought the song, and first set, to a nice conclusion.

I was too tired to stay for the second set; I play basketball at 7:30 on Saturdays and didn't need to be getting home after 1.

Frisco · December-13th-2003, 04:51 PM

I spoke to my friend, Jim Holub, in Cleveland and he gave a pretty glowing report as well. There was another set of about the same length as the first. He ended up purchasing a new disc from Paal which is a duo of Paal and Hakon Kornstad. I've only heard a bit of Kornstad but am told that he's quite a creative saxophonist. I'll look forward to hearing him in the Tri-Dim group in Chicago next week. Thanks for the report Capitan.