Ken Vandermark (Vandermark 5)-Single Piece Flow

Performing on the edge of the popular jazz of the present, Ken Vandermark is a multi instrumentalist who has forged a career in various settings, creating memorable outings and performances which push the limits of the avant garde while maintaining an accessible swing to the music. In 1997, his band entitled, The Vandermark 5, released Single Piece Flow, an album recorded in two days in the summer of 1996. It burns with intensity from the outset, leading off with the full ensemble assault of the Vandermark original Careen. In fact, the entire album is comprised of Vandermark original compositions. This detail has significance in that although the passion of the individual players drive the selections, it is the depth and resonance of the compositions that consistently bring the listener back. The album forcefully continues the tradition of free jazz inaugurated by Ornette Coleman and carried on by Cecil Taylor, Anthony Braxton and many others. However, the distinction between these giants and Vandermark is that his music borrows freely from their complex, melodic theories while, within the same musical context, drives forwarded with the basic passion of straight ahead jazz. This album is quite accessible for those desiring a challenge and introduction into the fascinating world of avant garde jazz. Moreover, if the opportunity ever presents itself, Vandermark is not to be missed in the live setting. His performance screams out with a zealousness that is oft absent from today’s players. He ain’t just grabbing a paycheck for another gig when he steps on the stand. The power of his creativity is overwhelming.

John Coltrane-Blue Train

In September of 1957, John Coltrane entered the studio to record his sole album as a leader for Blue Note Records. The result, Blue Train, is a post hard bop tour de force. Not having developed his “sheets of sound” style yet, Coltrane, along with Lee Morgan on trumpet and Curtis Fuller on Trombone, flat out blow the roof off the place. This album has fury, not of the screaming type heard in his Village Vanguard gig of 1961, but rather a powerful conveyance of the beauty and majesty of hard bop. Completing the band’s rhythm section is Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Besides the title track, which fully affirms the need for a volume switch that goes to “11", Coltrane’s composition Moment’s Notice defines the concept of “swing” as it incorporates the rhythmic styling of the 40's big band sound with the melodic improvisation of the bop pioneers like Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Penguin’s Guide to Jazz on CD (Seventh Edition) provides an apt description of Coltrane’s sound at this juncture of his career, stating: “[o]nce heard, it’s a sound that is not easily forgotten, at once plaintive and urgent, hard edged but also vulnerable.” P. 334. So true.