I haven't the energy to get my head round French Dress and I can't tell if there is really any point to it from just listening to the first ten mins. I'm being a bit lazy but some of these epic tracks are asking a lot.
I liked the Kids See Ghosts track a fair bit anyway so voted for that one.
Sorry about having a shit link last thread; here's one to an actual mp3 file (I think).
Tilly had a cool observation in the other thread, saying this sounded like Gastr del So and Shellac; Vandermark (the sax) actually played some clarinet on Gastr del Sol's Camofleur. Vandermark started out in Boston but moved to Chicago in the early '90s and the rock part of the Chicago creative scene (Tortoise, Jim O'Rourke, Steve Albini, Dave Grubbs, etc.) is definitely present in some of his music, especially on this track - which is why I love it and thought it would be more palatable for this crowd.
I'm actually unaware of the other players except for their work in this group. I think this is Vandermark's turn at getting a bunch of young people together for a new perspective, much like what Threadgill and Braxton and others do (rather than playing with other well-established players). This Marker group sees Vandermark trying out a modular compositional style, where he's got dozens if not >100 small compositions which each have their activation sequence that can be played during an improvisation. So as you continue listening to Marker's recordings, you begin to pick up on phrases that are repeated that segue into similar sections, but at different points in the recordings.
So I dig the Chicago rock background, the compositional style is cool, but the real reason I love Vandermark is his breadth of playing - previewed here with some free improv sections and a nice overblow at one point amid the more straight forward bits - and how rich his tenor sax tone is. It's hard to describe without being relational to other tenor saxists, but his tenor sounds like a baritone-bass sometimes and his vibrato can get on par with Ayler's. He's one of the best musicians living today (also, not obscure, he's a MacArthur Fellow and practically a "household" name in modern jazz).
Well, I mean it's more effort for me to process a 20min experimental track than a three minute song so the track asks for more effort from me in order to appreciate it. Not saying you shouldn't nominate challenging music by all means I just didn't have the patience for it on this occasion.
I'm probably missing something but I couldn't see the purpose/point of the track. It just didn't evoke a particular feeling or atmosphere for me, which is something I'd expect. I'm not particularly a jazz guy though so im not necessarily tuned in to the nuances of this stuff.
Tilly had a cool observation in the other thread, saying this sounded like Gastr del So and Shellac; Vandermark (the sax) actually played some clarinet on Gastr del Sol's Camofleur. Vandermark started out in Boston but moved to Chicago in the early '90s and the rock part of the Chicago creative scene (Tortoise, Jim O'Rourke, Steve Albini, Dave Grubbs, etc.) is definitely present in some of his music, especially on this track - which is why I love it and thought it would be more palatable for this crowd.
I'm actually unaware of the other players except for their work in this group. I think this is Vandermark's turn at getting a bunch of young people together for a new perspective, much like what Threadgill and Braxton and others do (rather than playing with other well-established players). This Marker group sees Vandermark trying out a modular compositional style, where he's got dozens if not >100 small compositions which each have their activation sequence that can be played during an improvisation. So as you continue listening to Marker's recordings, you begin to pick up on phrases that are repeated that segue into similar sections, but at different points in the recordings.
So I dig the Chicago rock background, the compositional style is cool, but the real reason I love Vandermark is his breadth of playing - previewed here with some free improv sections and a nice overblow at one point amid the more straight forward bits - and how rich his tenor sax tone is. It's hard to describe without being relational to other tenor saxists, but his tenor sounds like a baritone-bass sometimes and his vibrato can get on par with Ayler's. He's one of the best musicians living today (also, not obscure, he's a MacArthur Fellow and practically a "household" name in modern jazz).
Nice! Thanks for the insight & background. I obvs love it and will have to see if he's playing any dates in Chicago!
I really like the entire I See Ghosts album and it will def be in my year chart, but there's just not many tracks in this tourney I'd take over French Dress.
The Cudi Montage is better here than I remember in the album, probably because I was already bored by the time I got to it.
The French Dress track is definitely Shellac (Shellac/Tortoise/Gastr del Sol are favorites of mine) done in a free jazz format. It's hurt by the length (it's realistically 3 songs; splits at 5:45 and 13:00), some of the purely chaotic moments (5:50, 10:30, 17:50) and the lack of vocals. Probably best to say that this takes sounds that I like very much and puts them in a format that I don't like very much.
I'm definitely on the fence. I'll save my vote; if this one ends up tied I can swing back and break it. _________________ Some New Ordeal (Spotify/iTunes/Deezer)
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