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niC FORM TOIDBDi
'FORMLESS.
C hicago-based multi-reedist Ken
Vandermark can count himself among
the small vanguard of jaz* musicians
who have been officially recognized by the
U.S. government as geniuses. A recipient of a
MacArthur Fellowship (commonly known as a
'genius grant”) in 1999, Vandermark has partici
pated in scores of riveting recording sessions,
many of which rank among the most inventive,
vibrant and accessible avant-garde jazz releases
of the last 15 years. Whether he's weaving gutsy
improvisations ; nto rich, multi-faceted compo
sitions as leader of the Vandermark 5, diving
headlong into furious blowing sessions with the
Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet, or contributing
a swooping sax line to a Jim O'Rourke pop album,
Vandermark is wonderfully elastic, his playing at
once cerebral and funky.
For his most recent tour, Vandermark will play
in a duo with percussionist Timothy Daisy. Since
2001, these two men have been involved in a
fruitful creative partnership, teaming up in the
Vandermark 5, Bridge 61, Sound in Action, Frame
Quartet and Crisis Ensemble. Outside of his work
with Vandermark, Daisy has lent his talents to
such stellar outfits as the Festival Quartet, Triage,
Sky and Lights, The Engines and Dragons 1976.
Despite his productivity, Daisy remains rela
tively unknown outside of modem jazz circles,
but hopes are that the Vandermark/ Daisy duo
tour win grant the gifted percussionist some
much-deserved exposure. Flagpole recently chat
ted with Daisy about his working relationship
with Ken, his musical aesthetic and his future
plans.
Flagpole: How did you meet Ken, and how did
you get involved with Vandermark 5?
Timothy Daisy: The first time I met Ken, he
called me to ask if he could rent a drum kit off of
me for Paul Lytton to use while he was in town.
”0f course!” I replied. I got to hang out with
Paul a bit go to a recording session, and see
Ken and Paul perform as a duo—a great experi
ence. Here we are nine years later, me and Ken
performing as a duo! I had met saxophonist Dave
Rempis a year earlier, 1997 I think, and had been
playing regularly with him. We formed a trio
called Triage and started playing around town.
I think Ken came out a few times and heard me
play. We started playing together on and off, and
in late 2001, he asked me to join the Vandermark
5 when original drummer Tim Mulvenna left the
band.
FP: How frequently do you and Ken play shows
as a duo?
TD: Me and Ken perform as a duo maybe once
every couple of months. I hope to perform more
often in this context. Booking gigs can be tough,
however, due to our busy schedules.
FP: In terms of compositions, instrumentation
and improvisational aims, ideas and techniques,
what should we expect from the two of you on
this tour?
TD: I think the most important goal is to
make good music every night! The other im
portant aim is to try to get into new territory
with each performance as well This can pose an
interesting challenge when you are playing all
improvised sets night after night, which is what
we are doing on this trip.
Ken will have multiple reeds at his disposal:
baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone and clari
net. And I will be traveling with two drum kits:
one being a more traditional four-piece jazz kit,
and the other made up of a small bass drum, two
snare drums which are used more as small tables,
and multiple cymbals. I will also be bringing an
arsenal of bells, knitting needles, pieces of scrap
metal and other toys. We will have a wide palette
of sounds to choose from. This should help keep
the improvising fresh from piece to piece.
There are so many different approaches and
strategies you can use when playing free music.
Speaking for myself, the one element that is
most important is listening. Are the other musi
cians listening and reacting to the music being
made? In the case of playing with Ken, I feel I
can take the music into a really intense space,
playing extremely dense and loud, and then take
a quick 180-degree turn and drop down dynami
cally into a more sparse area and he will be right
there with me, because he listens. I don't mean
to say that a musician should react to everything
that is being thrown at him—this would be
problematic.
However, I think that if you can find a bal
ance between reacting to what is going on
around you and also coming up with your own
ideas and throwing them out there, you will usu
ally come up with some pretty interesting music.
I also feel that playing in a duo context gives
you the most freedom short of playing a solo
set. Your focus is narrowed down to you and one
other person. I find that this makes it easier to
get into the same train of thought within an
improvisation. However, I feel some really inter
esting music can be made when musicians are
not always on the same page, pulling each other
back and forth.
FP: How do you complement one another?
TD: Ken and I are both influenced by many
different styles of music from all over the world,
and I think that this alone is a huge reason
we enjoy playing together. We are both fans
of 20th-century art as well, and we end up go
ing out to museums whenever we have time on
tour. And—without sounding too pretentious, I
hope—I think there is a shared intensity to both
of our playing styles that comes across when we
perform together.
FP: Which recent projects or events have you
particularly excited about making music? Anything
especially notable on your horizon?
TD: I have been writing quite a bit of musk
recently for a new band I am putting together
that will include longtime collaborator and friend
Nate McBride on bass, fine young guitarist Dave
Miller, and a fantastic young trumpet player
named Jaimie Branch. I'm excited to get this off
the ground.
I'm also looking forward to two new releases:
a live recording by the Rempis Percussion Quartet
which will be out on 482 Music this fall and a
new release on Okka Disk by The Engines—my
self, Jeb Bishop on trombone, Dave Rempis on
saxophones and Nate McBride on bass. Both
groups will be touring later this year in support
of the new records.
Ptiillip Buchan
f • ' ' r ; r
WHO: Ken Vandermark & Tim Daisy Duo
WHERE: Flicker Theater & Bar
WHEN: Monday. July 2
HOW MUCH: Call
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