# The age difference is noticeable,- said Vandermark,- It was weird at first

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2017/08/31/age-difference-noticeable-said-vandermark-weird-first/
- Published: 2017-08-31T18:13:50+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**On Aug. 20, Ken Vandermark’s latest band, Marker, concluded a residency at Sugar
Maple, a craft beer bar in Milwaukee. The performance was an experiment of sorts
for a new project. The band had only performed once before, and that was on Jan.
21, as part of the Hit the Ground Running Fest, a Planned Parenthood fundraising
event held at Chicago’s Elastic Arts venue.**

It took almost two years for Vandermark to shape this project. He was looking for
an instrumentation as well as musicians that would present new challenges. For instance,
he made a conscious decision not to use a bass, settling instead on a lineup of 
young players featuring guitarists Andrew Clinkman and Steve Marquette, violinist/
keyboardist Macie Stewart and drummer Phil Sudderberg.

“The age difference is noticeable,” said Vandermark. “It was weird at first because
I was going to be ‘Mr. Vandermark,’ but I didn’t want to be their mentor. And it
was really fascinating and rewarding to see how they think musically. Their curiosity
felt like the cross-pollination that was happening in the mid-’90s in Chicago with
musicians from various backgrounds.”

For their last show, Marker presented two suites built around nine of the 14 compositions
that make up the band’s current repertoire. The compositions fall into three categories:
game pieces with cues to indicate a choice between various actions; tableau pieces
that can be superimposed on sonic backgrounds; and melodic pieces. Before each performance,
Vandermark devises how each suite is going to be constructed and sequenced. “My 
goal is to see how we can manipulate, cut up and reorganize the pieces in real time
to create new situations for the improvisers,” he said.

Given the nature of the process, the suites had a polymorphic quality. They merged
or juxtaposed different genres such as funk, blues-rock, chamber music and free 
improvisation, among others. The compositions made extensive use of repetitive riffs
and vamps before making room for solos. Stewart’s array of sounds on her electric
keyboard gave each part a separate identity and character. The music was alternately
loud and quiet, full and desolate, pointillist and expansive. Vandermark seemed 
most revelatory on tenor saxophone, but also relied on the clarinet, the bass clarinet
and the baritone saxophone.

Adrienne Pierluissi, the owner of Sugar Maple, not only came forward with the residency
proposal but also suggested to show a Chris Marker movie after each performance.
The French director’s influence on Vandermark partially explains the band’s name(
the other reason being the use of markers as points of reference or cues during 
the performance).

At the core of the project is the role of memory. The idea of memory in music had
captured Vandermark’s attention well before he got acquainted with the director’s
work, but his interest was renewed after viewing movies such as _Sans Soleil_ or
_La Jetée_. “I wanted to explore the idea of memory when you’re listening—from the
audience perspective—and how it does or doesn’t affect the perception or understanding
of the music,” he said. “My goal is to superimpose pieces in a fluid way to bring
elements back like an echo or anticipate what will happen later in the set. The 
challenge is for the musicians to keep track of what is being done while playing
or improvising. The residency was key to making it work.”

The final performance was followed by a showing of Marker’s _La Jetée_ featuring
a new soundtrack that Vandermark had penned for the occasion. The reed player had
some misgivings once he started to write the music, however. “It sounded like a 
great idea because the film is short and can be viewed with subtitles, so viewers
can follow the narrative,” he said. “But the original soundtrack is formidable, 
and the voice of the narrator is fantastic. I don’t regret it because I learned 
a lot through this struggle, dealing with improvisation and timing.”

The live soundtrack was more controlled than the suites, but still included some
improvisation, which was a major challenge given the need to keep in line with the
film (a stop watch was used to keep time.) Conscious of the imagery, the band was
at times dramatic, disturbing or mournful.

The band is scheduled to record at Experimental Sound Studio at the end of September
with an album to be released in early 2018.

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