Reviews |
This
is an amazing time to be in Chicago; the city’s free-music community
has evolved into one of the world’s most active. At the center of
this activity is concert organizer, band leader and multi-reedist
Ken Vandermark, who issues more records in a year than many of us
buy. Baraka is the debut recording of his DKV Trio with bassist
Kent Kessler and drummer Hamid Drake. With its balance of decent
writing, open-minded improvising (many free players turn tail at
the first sign of a steady groove, but not these guys) and dynamic
playing, this has become my favorite of his regularly working bands.
It’s on Okka, a label that’s worked overtime both to record Chicago’s
best players and to document their connections with the European
free scene.
- Bill
Meyer, Magnet, November/December 1997
An "Editor’s Choice" release for 1997, Cadence, January 1998
Kessler,
Vandermark and master percussionist Hamid Drake constitute the DKV
Trio, an outlet for their freer, less constrained spontaneous impulses.
The title piece from Baraka (OkkaDisk, ****) gives them extended
blowing opportunities in both pensive and propulsive modes. "Soft
Gamma Ray Repeater" is a moody ballad with Vandermark on bass clarinet
and "Figure It out" is built upon textural gestures. As an ensemble,
the three are less interactive (think of the contrasting components
of a trio like Air) than "all of one mind" — emphasizing supportive
values rather than a tense tug of war. When they crank it up — with
Vandermark inhaling the beat and exhaling blasts of blue flame — they’re
capable of generating blast-furnace heat. - Art
Lange, Pulse, November 1997
A
simple superlative: DKV Trio is the best working band in Chicago
jazz. That’s no small feat considering that its members work in
lot of other combinations. Assembled in 1994 by reedman Ken Vandermark
specifically for his recording project Standards (Quinnah), the group
forged an instant bond that mandated further investigation. Drummer
Hamid Drake never fails to provide a spark and when he and bassist
Kent Kessler get on the good foot you can expect a bonfire. Where
many free groups avoid funky swinging or melodic materials DKV eagerly
embraces them. The trio’s open-ended, sometimes set-length improvisations
unfold in sections: Drake and Kessler might set up a cyclical groove
for Vandermark to dive into or soar above, then an insistent bass
clarinet ostinato might free up the bassist to take one of his superb
arco solos after which Drake might suddenly kick out a Max Roach
high hat jam or hit the ground running with some infectious Afro-pop
polyrhythms or reggae snare-centricity. All three players are respectful
listeners cresting space and letting the music breathe but challenging
each other as well. Kessler benefits greatly from this simultaneous
relaxation and prodding, turning in consistently original performances.
And Vandermark, already well-known as a firebrand, is quickly emerging
as one of the finest young balladeers to tote a tenor. This selling
allows him ample room to dip deep into both bags. Each time out
DKV invents a new context where daring exploration and pure corporeal
pleasure shake hands and get down to business. - John
Corbett, Chicago Reader, January 31, 1997 [top]
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