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| Photo by Dime Danov |
The tour opened in Skopje. Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilsen-Love, and the
Macedonian band Svetlost took the stage for the night of their Balkan
journey. The audience in Skopje was visibly excited, many in the crowd were
already familiar with improvisational music, and even before the concert
began, the anticipation could be felt. The spring air could be felt too –
there was a warmth and openness around the venue, matching the mood and
excitement.
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| Paal Nilsen-Love. Photo by Dime Danov |
Inside, the set-up said it all: Two drum kits (Paal Nilsen-Love, Kristijan
Novkovski), a bass guitar (Deni Omeragić) and spots for the saxophones and
clarinets (Ken Vandermark, Ninoslav Spirovski). Paal Nilsen-Love is known
on this scene for working together with other drummers and big groups of
people, since we were able to watch him live with his Large Unit on the
Skopje Jazz Festival in 2017.
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| Kristijan Novkovski. Photo by Dime Danov |
Once the musicians took the stage, Ken introduced the set. The tracks were
his compositions – very new ones. Joined by the trio Svetlost, which is
already pretty well-known to the Macedonian audience, together with Paal
Nilsen-Love, they brought Ken’s compositions to life in a very specific,
unique and striking way.
The first track began immediately, all instruments coming in at once – no
slow build, just full force. The second part of the composition followed
with Ken and Ninoslav both playing the clarinet, while Deni held the
bass line steady in the background. The drums often alternated in a broken,
syncopated rhythm, trading phrases and textures. Two drummers in a live
setting always brings an extra layer of energy – it’s endlessly fun to
listen to.
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| Ninoslav Spirovski and Ken Vandermark. Photo by Dime Danov |
As the concert continued, Ken mentioned that the second track, composed
just since his arrival in Skopje, still didn’t even have a name. It was
that new. When the track started, it carried a more consistent bass line,
grounding the rhythm. The saxophones, switching in and out with clarinets,
created a melody that it felt like it was pulled from the very heart of
nature, there was a sense of the forest in it. I can imagine that it is
because many who come to Macedonia often find themselves drawn to the
surrounding mountains. The clarinet in particular is such a perfect
instrument for evoking that kind of atmosphere, its sound awakes something
rooted in the environment, maybe because the clarinet itself is created
from such a foresty material.
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| Deni Omeragić. Photo by Dime Danov |
As the concert went on, the chaotic moments kept weaving their way through
the music. In a later track, Ken mentioned the environment that had
inspired him for the particular piece, the track was called “44 casinos”, a
title that came from something simple but pretty striking. Since coming in
Macedonia, just 5 days before the concert, he has counted exactly 44
Casinos. The crowd reacted with laughter, recognizing the irony, as we were
all too aware of the problem Macedonia has with casinos popping up
everywhere. It was interesting to see though, that someone had found
inspiration in it. It’s always fascinating to see how a place can inspire a
great musician to create new work. The ability to turn impressions of a new
city into abstract art, especially in free, improvised music, is something
that truly captivates me.
And luckily for us, they recorded an album featuring these compositions, so
soon we’ll all be able to hear this unique combination from artists from
different corners of the world.
