Eyebrows were raised in the jazz world when it was announced that the relatively obscure and young Ken Vandermark (1964) was to receive a 1999 MacArthur 'Genius' grant. Previous MacArthur recipients amongst jazz musicians included Cecil Taylor and Anthony Braxton - near-legendary figures who, over the course of long careers, created substantial bodies of work that have (to some degree) stood the test of time. Vandermark, just 35 at the time, was little-known outside of Chicago. But there's no question that Vandermark is a talented musician. His tenor sax and bass clarinet work is strong and expressive; his technique on all of his horns is as sure as can be, and his improvising and compositional styles are as intellectually engaging as they are original. Vandermark began playing trumpet in fourth grade and then switched to tenor sax as a junior in high school. He attended McGill University from 1982 to 1986. In 1986, he moved to Boston, where he led a trio called Lombard Street and studied bass clarinet. In 1989, he moved from Boston to Chicago, where he first attracted notice as a member of Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble. His activities increased; he began leading several ensembles and became a mover and shaker, promoting and booking events with influential jazz critic John Corbett. His presence became a constant on the Chicago arts scene; he performs with a variety of bands, including the DKV Trio, Witches & Devils, The Vandermark 5, The Joe Harriot Project, and Steam.

April 28, 2004

my Thing:
"Right now I am preparing to leave Chicago to perform at a festival in Le Mans with The Vandermark 5 and The Peter Brotzmann Chicago Tentet. Immediately following the festival I will be on tour in Europe with the trio FME (Nate McBride on bass, Paal Nilssen-Love on drums) until the end of May. That band has a new album, called 'Underground', that will be released on Okka Disk in time for that trip. We'll be working on new music during the tour to prepare for further work and a recording in October. When I return home it will be time to finish work on new compositions for The Vandermark 5. That group will go on tour in mid June in the US with the Scandinavian group Atomic and I want to have the new pieces completed so they will be ready to record at the end of that series of performances. It's a busy time!"

my Background:
"I am essentially a self-taught musician. There were some tenor saxophone lessons with George Garzone during the summer home from university, but most of the work has been trial and error and on my own. This approach has worked well for me, I wouldn't have enjoyed a conservatory environment and disagree with many of the approaches to teaching improvised music I've seen at music schools.
As a child I grew up in a family environment that was surrounded by all kinds of music, either in concert or on the stereo. At an early age I started playing the trumpet and switched to tenor sax when I was 16, so I've basically been playing music most of my life. By the time I graduated from college I had made the decision to devote my life to exploring jazz and improvised music, and that's what Ive been doing since."

my Instrument:
"I work with the tenor and baritone saxophones, and the Bb and bass clarinets. I'm a fan of Selmer instruments, but the older ones, and play a Selmer Mark VI tenor, Balanced Action baritone and an old Selmer Bb clarinet. The bass clarinet is a LeBlanc, but I'm looking into buying another old Selmer that I recently spotted. Right now I feel best when I'm able to work with all the horns on a concert, each one has it's own set of characteristics and I miss them if they're not accessible."

my Jazz:
"Jazz is an art form and I don't think it's possible to define what it is as long as it remains a creative medium. There are aspects and materials which make jazz and improvised music different than other forms of music, but there are no set rules that exist without having many exceptions. Without question the music is rooted in black American culture, and almost all of the innovations in the music were made by black American artists up until the mid to late 1960's. At this point I would say that jazz and improvised music are truly international art forms and you can find new, innovative ideas happening both here in the US, in Europe and Japan. When efforts are made to codify the details of what makes the music 'jazz' they are at the expense of what makes individual ideas and variety important. Just taking an element like the idea of 'swing' and trying to indicate that it's a defining feature of jazz without simultaneously reducing it to a simplistic musical device is seemingly impossible. That said, I would suggest that, for me, the element of narrative improvisation is a necessary component, one that separates it from many other approaches to music.
I decided to explore this music because of the aspect of improvisation, that things can be created on the spot and be re-thought from performance to performance, from night to night. There is always the challenge from the music and the players of finding something new to say in relation to what's gone before."

my Inspiration:
"I am inspired by all kinds of artists and creative thinkers: individuals that see or hear things differently and can find ways to express those viewpoints. I try to acknowledge these people throught the dedications of my compositions. If you look at those lists I think you'll have a pretty good idea of what inspires me to continue my work."

my Rack:
"I would say that more important to me are the musicians and their music, not specific albums. Concerts have had more impact on me than any recording, hearing a group in a club and watching the music as it's created has affected me more permanently. In many cases there are musicians who I never had the opportunity to see, like Charlie Parker or Duke Ellington, and in these cases all I have to refer to is the recordings. But even then it's not just one album, just as it isn't just one solo, it's the collection of ideas that impact me. And then, also, it isn't just jazz that influences or inspires me. So rather than a list of albums, here's a far too short list of musicians in no particular order:
Louis Armstrong, James Brown, Charlie Parker, Jimi Hendrix, Duke Ellington, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Miles Davis, Lee Scratch Perry, Albert Ayler, Morton Feldman, Ornette Coleman, John Cage, Eric Dolphy, Sly Stone, Cecil Taylor, The Ex, Evan Parker, Gyorgy Ligeti, Derek Bailey, The Stax Band, Peter Brotzmann, The Maytals, Ab Baars, Robert Pete Williams, Anthony Braxton, Johnny Cash and Joe Morris."

my Influence:
"I was considering this when I organized the dedications on the new FME album 'Underground'. The approach to the material that band plays was my attempt to come up with a different way to deal with the 'free jazz trio'. Four people have affected my musical thinking more than anyone else: Joe McPhee, Paul Lytton, Joe Morris and Peter Brotzmann. Joe McPhee's solo recordings on 'Tenor' really put me on this path in the first place, when I heard it as a teenager. My work with Paul Lytton over the last few years has challenged what I thought I knew about improvised music and the kinds of choices that are necessary to move forward into your own territory. Knowing Joe Morris has also challenged and affected my musical conceptions, but from different viewpoints than Paul's. Watching and hearing Peter Brotzmann direct the Chicago Tentet for the last 6 years has been a life-altering experience, he's the best band leader I've ever worked with. All four of these people are real artists who have made significant sacrifices to do the work they believe in. Being around them has helped me believe that it's possible for me to do the same."

my Motive:
"One of my main goals is to try to change the perception that jazz and improvised music is only for 'specialists', and that you need to study the art for years before you can begin to appreciate it as a listener. The truth is that good improvised music should be for everybody, it's a vital creative statement that has a place in the world just like any other kind of good music. Every time I get on stage or in the studio I try to play in a way that illustrates that point."

my Height:
"To be honest, I've been an incredibly fortunate musician, there is no way I can indicate that there has only been one greatest experience or moment. For me, the height of my career is each time I hit the bandstand with great players - nothing before or after that is more important or exciting."

my Future:
"One thing I am trying to do is to find creative ways to fund the music I want to do, since in the US there is essentially no financial support for the arts. Another is to continue to work and develop bands likte the Vandermark 5, FME, The Territory Band, and to collaborate in groups like The Peter Brotzman Chicago Tentet, Free Fall and The Vandermark/ Nilssen-Love Duo. There are new projects I'm organizing to find different outlets for my ideas, the process just keeps moving. The current that charges the work is performing, so I will continue to tour as much as possible, and document the music in solid recordings to indicate what has been happening through that process."

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