People always asked why Grateful Dead fans used to tour with the band; the answer was that they never played the same show twice. This box-set recording of the Vandermark 5's five-night stand at the Alchemia Club in Krakow, Poland last March does not quite live up to that high standard, but it does offer a rare glimpse at a working band, well, working.These 12 full-length CDs document the Vandermark 5 playing at Alchemia, a major nightclub in Kraków, Poland, for a period of five evenings in March 2005. Over the course of well more than 12 hours of music, the quintet solidifies its reputation as one of the most innovative and exciting jazz groups of its time, as magic fills the air every night. It is difficult to imagine a more compelling set of modern jazz.
The invigorated Polish audience welcomed the group enthusiastically, and the musicians responded with thrilling performances that summarize the state of the band, which was in peak form, and suggest the directions in which jazz is heading as a creative force. This is difficult music to categorize, if only because it relies on traditional concepts of melody and improvisation, but pushes hard to stretch and twist the limits of propriety. The box set is marvelously packaged, with a splendid booklet featuring an extensive interview with Ken Vandermark, and numerous photos in color and black-and-white. Musical highlights abound. There are consistently strong solos from the horns, with trombonist Jeb Bishop making a particularly fine showing. This was one of the last gigs in which Bishop performed as a working member of the band, and his focused, rough-hewn tone and rapid-fire technique are ubiquitous. Vandermark is clearly psyched for the gig, and he roars with abandon, with powering improvisations reined in only by the discipline of his arrangements. Most of the tunes were written by Vandermark, but he is careful to include at least one piece from composers such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Cecil Taylor, and Don Cherry each night. One of the most fascinating aspects of the extended blowout is how some of the songs are performed more than once, often on different nights. The patient listener can listen to the group experiment and refine its interpretations as the kinks are worked out. The last two CDs are jam sessions in which brothers Marcin Oleœ on acoustic bass and drummer Bartlomiej Brat Oleœ join the members of the quintet in various combinations, performing some freely improvised tracks and heads from Sonny Rollins' "East Broadway Rundown," Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Women," and Thelonious Monk's "Bemsha Swing," among others. The Poles perform outstandingly, offering a glimpse at a burgeoning local jazz scene. This is one of those live recordings in which you wish you had been there, but thankfully, the box set documents it all, with great sound quality to boot. It is destined to be a classic of its genre.
CD – 01
01. Telefon (Vandermark)
02. Other Cuts (Vandermark)
03. Staircase (Vandermark)
04. Strata (Vandermark)
05. Free King’s Suite (Roland Kirk)
CD – 02
01. Outside Ticket (Vandermark)
02. Money Down (Vandermark)
03. Camera [FIRST PERFORMANCE] (Vandermark)
04. Roulette (Vandermark)
05. Cruz Campo (Vandermark)
06. The Black And Crazy Blues (Kirk)
CD – 03
01. Confluence (Vandermark)
02. Rip Rig And Panic Suite (Kirk)
03. Camera (Vandermark)
04. Both Sides (Vandermark)
05. Knock Yourself Out (Vandermark)
CD – 04
01. The Cooler (Vandermark)
02. That Was Now [FIRST PERFORMANCE] (Vandermark)
03. Six Of One (Vandermark)
04. Silverlization/Volunteered Slavery (Roland Kirk)
05. There Is The Bomb (Don Cherry)
CD – 05
01. That Was Now (Vandermark)
02. Seven Puls Five (Vandermark)
03. The Bridge (Sonny Rollins)
04. Gyllene (Vandermark)
05. Auto Topography (Vandermark)
CD – 06
01. The Freedom Suite, Part 2(Sonny Rollins)
02. Telefon (Vandermark)
03. Initials (Vandermark)
04. Camera (Vandermark)
05. Other Cuts (Vandermark)
06. The Black And Crazy Blues (Roland Kirk) [Encores]
07. Knock Yourself Out (Vandermark) [Encore]
CD – 07
01. Money Down (Vandermark)
02. Inflated Tear (Roland Kirk)
03. Wherever June Bugs Go (Archie Shepp)
04. Camera (Vandermark)
05. Cruz Campo (Vandermark)
CD – 08
01. Pieces Of The Past [FIRST PERFORMANCE] (Vandermark)
02. That Was Now (Vandermark)
03. Long Term Fool (Vandermark)
04. Strata (Vandermark)
05. Silverlization/Volunteered Slavery (Roland Kirk)
06. The Bridge (Sonny Rollins) [Encore]
CD – 09
01. Conquistador, Part 2 (Cecil Taylor)
02. Knock Yourself Out (Vandermark)
03. Pieces Of The Past (Vandermark)
04. Camera (Vandermark)
05. Cruz Campo (Vandermark)
CD – 10
01. That Was Now (Vandermark)
02. Gyllene (Vandermark)
03. Telefon (Vandermark)
04. Ken’s final speach
05. Six Of One (Vandermark)
06. Other Cuts (Vandermark) [Encore]
07. The Black And Crazy Blues (Roland Kirk)
CD – 11
01. Free Jam 1 (Vandermark/Bishop/M.Oleœ/B.B.Oleœ)
02. Free Jam 2 (Vandermark/Bishop/M.Oleœ/B.B.Oleœ)
03. Free Jam 3 (Vandermark/Rempis/Daisy/Bishop/M.Oleœ)
04. East Broadway Run Down (Sonny Rollins), Elephantasy/Complete Communion (Don Cherry)
05. Theme For Alchemia (Vandermark/Rempis/Daisy/Kessler)
06. Bemsha Swing (Thelonious Monk)
CD – 12
01. Round Trip (Ornette Coleman)
02. Free Jam 5 (Vandermark/Bishop/Kessler/M.Oleœ)
03. Free Jam 6 (Vandermark/Bishop/M.Oleœ/B.B.Oleœ)
04. Togo (based on a Ghanese traditional, Ed Blackwell)
05. Lonely Woman (Ornette Coleman)
