Elements of Style / Exercises in Surprise
| Elements of Style / Exercises in Surprise | ||||
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| Studio album by Ken Vandermark & The Vandermark 5 | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Atavistic Records | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
7th |
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running time |
1:05:28 |
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| occupation |
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Studio (s) |
Semaphore Recording, Chicago |
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Elements of Style / Exercises in Surprise is a jazz album by Ken Vandermark & The Vandermark 5. The recordings made on July 9th and 10th, 2003 in the Semaphore Recording Studios, Chicago, were released in 2004 on Atavistic Records .
background
The first part of the album title refers to stylistic elements of the Vandermark Five ; "Exercises in Surprise" refers to the close juxtaposition of structural post-bop formalism and free jazz improvisations, wrote Thom Jurek. Since 2002 the quintet has consisted of Ken Vandermark (woodwind instruments), Dave Rempis , saxophone, Kent Kessler , bass, Jeb Bishop , trombone and Tim Daisy , drums. It was the second album with this line-up.
Track list
- The Vandermark Five: Elements of Style, Exercises in Surprise (Atavistic ALP150CD)
- Outside Ticket (For John Gilmore) 9:23
- Knock Yourself Out (For Jean-Michel Basquiat) 6:03
- Intagliamento (For Zu) 5:31
- Phone (For Glenn Gould) 7:23
- Gyllene (For Lars Gullin) 8:32
- Strata (For Max Beckmann) 8:26
- Six Of One (For Bogdan Benigar, Hans Falb, Mauro Pezzente, Martin Revheim, Mate Skugor, Wolfgang Wasserbauer ...) 8:10 pm
- All compositions are by Ken Vandermark.
reception
Thom Jurek awarded the album four stars in Allmusic and wrote that the band offers a wonderfully dense ensemble in every composition. This is a solid recording that offers a wide-angle view of Vandermark as the composer and arranger of this band. According to the All About Jazz critic , who gave the album five stars, the harsh overtones and raw intensity are not there to clutter the field and draw attention; instead, they exist as a kind of musical counterpoint to more controlled action. “Knock Yourself Out” ( dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat ) combines a funk groove with polyrhythmic swing, then goes through collective unrest and reaches a violent climax before it becomes raw again. The density of the group is an homage to years of sweat together. Jeb Bishop's trombone work throughout the recording is dramatic, assertive, and confident. Elements of Style is one of the most exciting recordings of the year, says the author, and the best V5 release so far.
Liam Singer wrote in Pitchfork that The Vandermark 5 is an unexpectedly refreshing quintet, in an avant jazz scene, full of people who want to expand their tonal range or redefine the term jazz in a world full of samples and postmodern confusion. “It is a rare group that is purposefully and successfully advancing the modernist movement within the confines of a fairly normal ensemble, and the fact that traditionalists have questioned the 'legitimacy' of V5 only strengthens their position. A listener will immediately find something exciting about their latest recording; it's the sound of solid compositions, filtered through unpretentious, energetic performances. ”Just as the freedom of the Vandermark 5 within convention is evidence of their musicality, be it what keeps them in place, Singer notes critically. While the jazz greats to whom Vandermark refers in his dedications are mentioned in their “phases” and “periods”, it is not entirely clear “that Vandermark is going somewhere.” Elements of Style ... Exercises in Surprise was nonetheless a great album, the author sums up, and about as accessible as free jazz. "Full of energy and purpose, it should offer every music lover a refreshing oasis of excellent musicality."
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Review of ThomJurek's album at Allmusic (English). Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ The Vandermark Five: Elements of Style, Exercises in Surprise at Discogs
- ^ The Vandermark Five: Elements of Style, Exercises in Surprise. All About Jazz, October 11, 2004, accessed June 17, 2020 .
- ^ Liam Singer: The Vandermark Five: Elements of Style, Exercises in Surprise. Pitchfork, August 22, 2004, accessed June 17, 2020 .