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32-495: The band moved away from its earlier lounge sound by inviting reedman Ken Vandermark and saxophonist Hal Russell to help bring out more jazz elements. Dave Crawford, of Poi Dog Pondering , contributed on trumpet and flugelhorn. Many of the more guitar-centered tracks recorded during the sessions ended up on the band's next album, Peel . Trouser Press wrote: "While hardly virtuosos, the Coctails play with low-key humor and create

64-493: A $ 265,000 MacArthur Fellowship , a prize then awarded on an age-based scale to creative leaders and meant to enable them to pursue their creative, intellectual, and professional inclinations. The fellowship was controversial, due to Vandermark's relative youth and obscurity: he was 35 and known mostly in Chicago, while other jazz performers awarded the fellowship were older and better-known (e.g., Cecil Taylor , George Russell ). In

96-467: A Rook Than a Pawn , based on compositions by Vandermark, was released in late 2023. The band did and will tour in 2023 and 2024. Hamid Drake Hamid Drake (born August 3, 1955) is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. By the close of the 1990s, Hamid Drake was widely regarded as one of the best percussionists in jazz and improvised music. Incorporating Afro-Cuban, Indian, and African percussion instruments and influence, in addition to using

128-508: A child decades earlier. Drake worked with Anderson from 1974 to 2010, including on Anderson's 1979 The Missing Link . At Anderson's workshops, a young Hamid met Douglas Ewart , George E. Lewis and other members of Chicago 's Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) . Another of the most significant percussion influences on Drake, Ed Blackwell , dates from this period. Drake's flowing rhythmic expressions and interest in

160-757: A degree in English but focusing on cinema. After graduation, he led or co-led groups (including Lombard Street and Mr. Furious ) in Boston. Compositions/arrangements for the Boston-based groups set the groundwork for and predicted approaches to recordings and live performances developed in Chicago. Although a trio, Lombard Street incorporated "suite forms" characteristic of later arrangements for groups of both substantial and limited instrumentation. Vandermark's "dedication pieces" are found first in Lombard Street performances, as in

192-519: A lot of people are home and visiting, and we wanted to create something that people would enjoy at that particular time, regardless of whatever they might be following. I think it just kind of naturally turned into this continuing event. I don't think that we planned it at the beginning." Occasionally, including in 2020, the Hamid Drake & Michael Zerang Duo have also performed a summer solstice concert in Chicago. The duo has released two albums – Ask

224-912: A rather hushed and subdued chamber jazz that still managed to swing and take creative leaps. After being awarded the MacArthur Fellowship in 1999, Vandermark used some of the financial windfall to assemble the Territory Band, a big band composed of musicians from North America and Europe. Vandermark describes Territory Band as "an intersection of my two primary musical interests, American Jazz and European Improvised Music." Personnel has varied but has always included Vandermark, Rempis and Fredrik Ljungkvist on reeds; Axel Dörner on trumpet and Per-Åke Holmlander on tuba; Jim Baker on piano; Kessler on bass and Lonberg-Holm on cello; and Paal Nilssen-Love and Paul Lytton on drums. Territory Band also incorporates elements of noise and electroacoustic improvisation via

256-408: A series of soundscapes—by turns muted and buoyant, lush and fractured—that evoke heroes from Billy Strayhorn to Sun Ra." The Chicago Tribune called the album "a beautifully programmed series of jazzy soundscapes, with ringers like Ken Vandermark, Dave Crawford and Hal Russell—in the last recorded performance before his death—adding their distinctive voices." The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised

288-595: Is notable for his subtlety and flair. Drake's questing nature and his interest in Caribbean percussion led to a deep involvement with reggae. Hamid Drake (birth name Henry Lawrence Drake) was born in 1955 in Monroe , Louisiana , and when he was a child his family moved to Evanston , Illinois . There, he started playing with local rock and R&B bands, which eventually brought him to the attention of Fred Anderson , an older saxophonist who had also moved to Evanston from Monroe as

320-407: Is one of the founders and members of Catalytic Sound , a cooperative of musicians that publishes their own recordings. Composed of drummer Hamid Drake , bassist Kent Kessler , and Vandermark. The group is active only irregularly, except for annual end-of-year concert(s) in Chicago. However, in 2017 DKV played two tours, one with Joe McPhee , and in 2020 there was no end-of-year concert, due to

352-594: Is the group Phat Jam along with human beat boxer and rapper Napoleon Maddox. Drake also works with Maddox in the jazz hip hop group ISWHAT?! . Drake performs with European jazz groups, recording with Hungarian musicians such as Viktor Tóth and Mihály Dresch . In addition to the drum set, Drake performs on the frame drum, the tabla, and other hand drums. Since 1991, Drake has collaborated with fellow percussionist Michael Zerang to present annual winter solstice concerts. Both musicians have been committed to return to Chicago, from wherever they may be performing, to stage

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384-657: The COVID-19 pandemic . Ken Vandermark, Hamid Drake, and bassist Nate McBride. Originally devoted to interpretations of the music of Sun Ra and the P-Funk / George Clinton family, Spaceways Inc. later branched into versions of classic reggae songs as well as Vandermark originals. Perhaps Vandermark's main compositional vehicle, the Vandermark 5 released their first album in 1997. Initial personnel were Vandermark, Mars Williams (saxophone), Jeb Bishop (trombone and electric guitar, though

416-466: The "brooding, melancholic, jazzy feel," writing that the band "proved they were more than Blue Note wannabes by constructing a record any jazz aficionado would cite as a Top 10 pick." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution concluded: "Snaky and hypnotic, the tunes amble like a laid-back flip side to Eric Dolphy's classic, Out to Lunch ." The Wisconsin State Journal noted that "the band made what it felt

448-499: The Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate improvisation. He has led or been a member of many groups, has collaborated with many other musicians, and was awarded a 1999 MacArthur Fellowship . He plays tenor saxophone , clarinet , bass clarinet , and baritone saxophone . He

480-819: The NRG Ensemble from 1992 to 1996. He was once a member of Witches and Devils and the Flying Luttenbachers and has led or co-led several groups, including DKV Trio, Free Fall, Territory Band, CINC, Sonore, the Vandermark 5, the Free Music Ensemble, School Days, the Sound in Action Trio, Steam and Powerhouse Sound. The Joe Harriott Project , a brief celebration of Harriott in 1998 in the Chicago area, consisted of Ken Vandermark (reeds), Jeb Bishop (trombone), Kent Kessler (bass), and Tim Mulvenna (drums). The band played

512-459: The Vandermark 5, it's time to leave that process behind and focus more completely on my own ideas." Vandermark is the subject of Musician (2007), one of a series of Daniel Kraus video documentaries on contemporary occupations. Vandermark won the Cadence magazine poll in 1998 for best artist and best recording. He was a finalist for the 1998 Herb Alpert Fellowship . In 1999 Vandermark was awarded

544-683: The annual winter performances in Chicago of the Yes We Can Band led by Jeff Albert  [ de ] and Steve Marquette  [ de ] , which covers New Orleans rhythm & blues / funk tunes, especially those of Allen Toussaint and the Meters . ) Edition Redux formed in Chicago in early 2023, featuring, in addition to Vandermark, the much younger musicians ( Erez Dessel  [ de ] (keyboards), Lily Finnegan  [ de ] (drums), and Beth McDonald  [ de ] (tuba, electronics)). Edition Redux's album Better

576-580: The case of "The Politics of Sound," which was dedicated to the musicians in Boston-based ensembles Shock Exchange , The Fringe, and the Joe Morris Trio. Works performed by Mr. Furious, such as "Cold Coffee", include some of the most convincing early examples of Vandermark's signature free-ranging charts. Developed further in Barrage Double Trio (e.g., "Agamemnon Sleeps") this simultaneously linear and episodic perspective on arrangement broadly has been

608-602: The contributions of Kevin Drumm , who departed in about 2005 and was replaced by Lasse Marhaug . In June 2012, Vandermark recorded Mutations/Multicellulars Mutations , the first album by a newly created ensemble called RARA AVIS, featuring Stefano Ferrian (soprano/tenor saxophone), Stefano Quatrana (piano), Luca Pissavini (double bass) and SEC_ (tape recorder, instant sound treatment). The ensemble premiered on April 26, 2013 at Novara Jazz Winter. Vandermark named his group Marker for filmmaker Chris Marker . In addition to Vandermark,

640-561: The disbanding of the ensemble, although he continues to work with band members in other contexts (e.g., with Kessler in DKV). Active c. 2004–2007, the Free Fall Trio included Vandermark and two Norwegian musicians: pianist Håvard Wiik and bassist Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten. This group was loosely inspired by Jimmy Giuffre 's groundbreaking early 1960s trio, which featured the same instrumentation. Like Giuffre, Vandermark played clarinet and emphasized

672-566: The group, based in Chicago, features the much younger musicians Macie Stewart (violin, keyboard), Steve Marquette (guitar), Andrew Clinkman (guitar), and Phil Sudderberg (drums). Marker's album Wired for Sound was recorded in 2017 and released in 2018, and a second live album was recorded and released in 2018. Marker toured in 2018. (Since 2017 through 2020, Vandermark and Stewart, often along with Anton Hatwich  [ de ] , Isaiah Spencer  [ de ] , Sima Cunningham , and Liam Kazar (Cunningham), usually participated in

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704-1212: The interior landscape of percussion and shared deeply in Mr. Cherry's grasp of music's spiritually infinite transformational possibilities. Drake worked extensively with him from 1978 until Cherry's death in 1995. Drake was one of the founders, along with Foday Musa Suso and Adam Rudolph , of The Mandingo Griot Society. His other frequent collaborators include New York bassist William Parker , saxophonist David Murray , composer and percussionist Adam Rudolph , German free jazz saxophonist Peter Brötzmann and drummer Michael Zerang . Drake has played and/or recorded with: Don Cherry , Pharoah Sanders , Fred Anderson , Herbie Hancock , Archie Shepp , bassist William Parker (in many lineups), Reggie Workman , Yusef Lateef , Wayne Shorter , Bill Laswell , David Murray , Joe Morris , Evan Parker , Paolo Angeli , Peter Brötzmann , Jim Pepper , Roy Campbell , Matthew Shipp , Sabir Mateen , Rob Brown , Mat Walerian , Marilyn Crispell , Johnny Dyani , Dewey Redman , Joe McPhee , Adam Rudolph , Hassan Hakmoun , Joseph Jarman , George E. Lewis , John Tchicai , Iva Bittová , Ken Vandermark , and almost all of

736-485: The latter was gradually phased out), Kessler (bass) and Tim Mulvenna (drums). Williams left and was replaced by saxophonist Dave Rempis ; while Tim Daisy took over Mulvenna's seat at the drums. Bishop left the group in 2005, and was replaced with cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm. Their music could be broadly classified as post bop , though their earlier era had strong leanings towards punk rock and noise due to Bishop's ragged guitar contributions. In 2010 Vandermark announced

768-532: The members of the AACM . These diverse artists all play in a broad range of musical settings which allows Drake to comfortably adapt to north and west African and Indian impulses as well as reggae and Latin. Although engaged as sideman, he has also devoted his energies and creativity as a band leader; focusing on his own groups and projects such as Bindu and Indigo Trio. Drake has frequently appeared with jazz legend Archie Shepp in various configurations. The most common

800-418: The mid-1990s, Vandermark was known, in part, for his many collaborations with other musicians. Some groups were ad hoc settings, while others were more stable. He worked not only in jazz, but free improvisation , noise , rock and roll of various stripes, and other settings. Due in part to wanting to focus more on his own compositions, Vandermark decided in about 2000 to limit his collaborations. Vandermark

832-441: The music of Joe Harriott , transcribed and arranged by Vandermark. In 2002 Vandermark recorded Furniture Music , his first released performances as an unaccompanied soloist. After several years of Vandermark 5 performances of his arrangements of works by Sonny Rollins , Joe McPhee , Cecil Taylor , and others, Vandermark in 2005 announced, "Though I have learned a great deal by rearranging some of my favorite composers' work for

864-715: The overarching architecture in most of his works for large-ensembles since that time. Vandermark has lived in Chicago since autumn 1989. Since then, he has performed or recorded with many musicians (including Hal Russell , Paal Nilssen-Love , Hamid Drake , Fred Anderson , David Stackenäs , Paul Lytton , Joe Morris , Ab Baars , The Ex , Mikolaj Trzaska , Marcin Oles , Waclaw Zimpel , Axel Doerner , Mats Gustafsson , Bartlomiej Oles , Wolter Wierbos , Joe McPhee , Zu , Peter Brötzmann , Fredrik Ljungkvist , Paul Lovens , Lasse Marhaug , Yakuza , Kevin Drumm , and members of Superchunk ). He first gained widespread attention while with

896-496: The roots of the music drew like-minded musicians together into a performance and educational collective named the Mandingo Griot Society , which combined traditional African music and narrative with distinctly American influences. Don Cherry , who Drake first met in 1978, was another continuing collaborator. After meeting Cherry, Drake and fellow percussionist Adam Rudolph travelled with Don to Europe, where they explored

928-451: The solstice event which commemorates the northern hemisphere's shortest day. (In most years, about a week later Drake performs again in Chicago with the DKV Trio .) About the winter event Drake has said, "The solstice is an important time for all people of any religion or race, because it's about the cycling of the earth itself, and nobody can really claim that. It's a time of the year when

960-677: The standard trap set, Drake has collaborated extensively with top free jazz improvisers. Drake also has performed world music ; by the late 1970s, he was a member of Foday Musa Suso's Mandingo Griot Society and has played reggae throughout his career. Drake has worked with trumpeter Don Cherry , pianist Herbie Hancock , saxophonists Pharoah Sanders , Fred Anderson , Archie Shepp and David Murray , and bassists Reggie Workman and William Parker (in many lineups). Drake studied drums extensively, including eastern and Caribbean styles. He frequently plays without sticks, using his hands to develop subtle commanding undertones. His tabla playing

992-458: Was a necessary foray into free-form jazz noodling, with longer songs and mixed results." AllMusic wrote that "the quartet's sound moved more to jazz and away from the band's poppier efforts on albums like Early Hi-Ball Years ." Pitchfork deemed it "a superb album of alternately weird and elegiac jazz." Ken Vandermark Ken Vandermark (born September 22, 1964) is an American composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist . A fixture on

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1024-584: Was also a member of NRG Ensemble . Vandermark grew up in Massachusetts, graduating from Natick High School . His father, Stu Vandermark, was the Boston correspondent for Cadence Magazine and currently is a noted essayist on jazz, primarily concerned with improvisation. Vandermark led a jazz trio, the Fourth Stream, in Montreal while he was an undergraduate at McGill University. He graduated in 1986 with

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