By Paul Acquaro
When one approaches a new release from woodwindist Ken Vandermark there is a temptation to deconstruct the influences. He invites it, afterall, with the dedications in the titles. Look at the first suite of tunes on Broadcast Transformer, the recent release from his group Edition Redux: 'Other Nichols Other Dimes (for Herbie Nichols and The Minutemen) / Salto (for Jacob Lawrence) / Pony Up (for Rebecca Morris).' Hell, there are three in just one track and the names point in many different directions - 20th century avant-garde musicians, painters and hard-core bands. Track two: "Autochrome (for Faith Ringgold) / Scratch Vocal (for Scratch Acid) / Clockwise (for Peter Greenaway) / Velocity Dub (for Joel Sternfeld)" - another painter, another hard-core band, a British filmmaker, and a mid-century American photographer who chronicled roadside America. Something for everyone, especially those of us who pored over album liner notes and credits in our younger, more innocent pre-internet years making connections out of the slightest pieces of information. It is good fun, and if you listen not so literally, you may just hear the connections ... or maybe not, that is okay too, one can just enjoy the vibrant tunes that Vandermark has developed for this second outing with this group. (Here is a link to the first one, Better a Rook than a Pawn.)
In the first track, the aforementioned 'Other Nichols Other Dimes...', one can indeed hear traces of Nichols' rich approach to the piano as well as well as Minutemen's directness... but maybe not right away. First we are greeted by Erez Dessel' Nord synthesizer (which produces a sound closest to a classic Fender Rhodes nowadays), as well as a solid rhythmic line from Vandermark on sax. Lily Finnegan's drums are pure rock and roll during this first stretch, and Beth McDonald fills in some punchy bass with her tuba. Then, a dissonant layering of chords from the Dessel, now using an more organ-like tone, leads to a new part of the piece. Nichols appears later, after Dessel has switched to piano, and we hear a distillation of Dixieland land jazz and modern classical, components that the influential, if not still somewhat under-recognized, pianist employed. In the final moments of the 20 minute track, Vandermark let's loose with a blast of fiery free improvisation adding a certain signature touch to the expansive piece.
'Autochrome (for Faith Ringgold) / Scratch Vocal (for Scratch Acid) / Clockwise (for Peter Greenaway) / Velocity Dub (for Joel Sternfeld),' is a centerpiece for the album. Clocking in at over 20 minutes, it starts with a driving rhythm and melody to match. Vandermark and McDonald move in counter motions with unfaltering energy. Vandermark takes an intense solo, followed by a sudden dissolving of the pulse, melody and tonality. Sheets of dissonant chords from the organ fill the space and then decay, leaving a sonic void in its place. Rumbles from the tuba, small squalls from the clarinet, stabbing tones from the piano, a splash of the cymbals fire at random intervals, the void eventually filling with expressive rhythmic chordal passages from a duo of the piano and drums.
Fast forwarding, the closer 'Winged Jaguar (for Bill Dixon and Cecil Taylor) / Flipside (for Diane Arbus and Lisette Model) / Five Dollars In A $3 World (for Lester Bowie)' is as dynamic and varied as the opener, though in different ways. The track opens with widely spaced tones, Dessel's piano plays a significant role providing explosive melodic figures in response to focused injections by Vandermark's clarinet, as well as long expansive shifting of the sonic landscape. The intensity increases and the melodic figures grow more and more syncopated until eventually colliding with the clarinet again in a nifty passage. The focus shifts again towards the end to a groove. Reinforced by the ersatz Rhodes and driven by the drums, the groove gets so deep that one is legally required to bob one's head. McDonald's effects-heavy tuba adds a delightful touch of conflict to the passage as well.
Suffice to say, at some point, it is easy to let the titles simply be titles and just enjoy the music and what one hears is as excellent as one can wish for. Edition Redux seems especially special, as its scene setting suites provide sweeping musical vistas with noteworthy sights that take inspiration from consummate sources.
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