Musician & Composer

Ken Vandermark

Ken Vandermark (USA 1964) is an avant-garde composer, improviser, saxophonist/clarinetist, curator, and writer whose unique history has given him the opportunity to perform extensively and record with key figures of the AACM (Fred Anderson), FMP (Peter Brötzmann), post-punk (Terrie Ex); Ethiopian music (Getachew Mekuria), and free jazz from Japan (Akira Sakata). He’s been the director of the Catalytic Sound musician cooperative since 2012, has run Audiographic Records since 2014, and in 1999 was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in music.

Calendar

22AprilApr

Svetlost with Paal Nilssen-Love & Ken Vandermark

Svetlost with Paal Nilssen-Love & Ken Vandermark

Ljubljana, Slovenia: Klub Gromka 8:30pm SVETLOST with KEN VANDERMARK and PAAL NILSSEN-LOVE(North Macedonia, USA, Norway) DENI OMERAGIĆ – bass, guitar, electronicsNINOSLAV […]

01AugustAug

Edition XL (Berman, Dessel, Finnigan, Macri, McDonald, Vandermark)

Edition XL (Berman, Dessel, Finnigan, Macri, McDonald, Vandermark)

The Green Mill, Chicago

02AugustAug

Edition XL (Berman, Dessel, Finnigan, Macri, McDonald, Vandermark)

Edition XL (Berman, Dessel, Finnigan, Macri, McDonald, Vandermark)

The Green Mill, Chicago

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Latest Releases

Album: Broadcast Transformer

Broadcast Transformer

Edition Redux

Album: This Is Not A Holiday!

This Is Not A Holiday!

Terrie Ex & Ken Vandermark

Koniec

Sebastiaan Janssen, Hubert Kostkiewicz, Ken Vandermark & Marta Warelis

Album: Better A Rook Than A Pawn

Better A Rook Than A Pawn

Edition Redux

Album: Distant Cousins

Distant Cousins

Paul Lytton & Ken Vandermark

Album: Snapshots: Complete

Snapshots: Complete

Ken Vandermark solo

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Recent Posts

Svetlost w/Nilssen-Love & Vandermark pt. 3

Svetlost w/Nilssen-Love & Vandermark pt. 3

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Ken Vandermark

[pictured left to right: Vladan Drobicki and Kiko Novkovski] After a strong second concert in Sofia, Bulgaria at Club Singles on Thursday night, which pulled the new […]

Svetlost w/Nilssen-Love & Vandermark pt. 2

Svetlost w/Nilssen-Love & Vandermark pt. 2

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Ken Vandermark

[photo by Can Inandim; left to right: Deni Omeragić, Paal Nilssen-Love, Ken Vandermark, Nino Spirovski, Kiko Novkovski, and Vladan Drobicki] Following a second rehearsal with […]

Album coverage: “Broadcast Transformer” and “This Is Not A Holiday”

Notes from the field

Album coverage: “Broadcast Transformer” and “This Is Not A Holiday”

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Ken Vandermark

The process of creating new work and documenting it has been essential to me for decades, driven by periods early on when both were difficult and the knowledge that Herbie […]

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Musician (improviser/composer) who plays saxophones and clarinets, and works with a variety of styles and artists.

Tonight- Sunday, April 20, 9pm, at the Strogi Cent

Tonight- Sunday, April 20, 9pm, at the Strogi Centar in Belgrade, Serbia- the project of Svetlost with Paal Nilssen-Love and Ken Vandermark continues the music with two more performances still to come.

After a strong second concert in Sofia, Bulgaria at Club Singles on Thursday night, which pulled the new material into sharper focus, the group set up and recorded with Vladan Drobicki in a small “pocket cinema” space in the large building that houses the MKC-Cinema Frosina, where the ensemble premiered its music for a packed house on April 16th. The rehearsals that began with Svetlost (Deni Omeragić [electric bass], Nino Spirovski [tenor and soprano sax, Bb clarinet], Kiko Novkovski [drums]) last Sunday, added Paal on Tuesday, coupled with the concerts in Skopje and Sofia, meant the band was primed to play for the recording. This point was underscored by the fact that every piece was captured in a single take.

(link to complete essay and full concert info in bio)

Next up for Svetlost with Paal Nilssen-Love & Ken Vandermark:
April 20: Belgrade, Serbia, Strogi Centar, 9pm
April 21: Pula, Croatia, Klub Kotač, 9pm
April 22: Ljubljana, Slovenia, Klub Gromka, 8:30pm

(Photos: Vladin Drobicki & Nino Spirovski; Kiko Novkovski; Deni Omeragic; Paal Nilssen-Love)

@svetlost.jazz
@paalnilssenlove
#Svetlost
#DeniOmeragić
#KikoNovkovski
#NinoSpirovski
#PaalNilssen-Love
#VladanDrobicki
#ImprovisedMusic
#ExperimentalMusic
#FreeJazzMusic
#ContemporaryMusic
#Avant-GardeMusic

Get Back In The Van Pt. 3764: Thursday, April 17,

Tonight- Wednesday, April 16, at 8:30pm- the tour

Tonight- Wednesday, April 16, at 8:30pm- the tour with Svetlost, Paal Nilssen-Love, and Ken Vandermark begins in Skopje, Macedonia at MKC-Cinema Frosina.

Following a second rehearsal with Deni Omeragić, Nino Spirovski, and Kiko Novkovski on Monday afternoon, Paal Nilssen-Love joined the project on Tuesday after flying from Chicago to Oslo on Monday, going to his home outside of town to do construction on it, then returning to an airport hotel that night so he could to fly to Skopje at 6am to meet with the group. Of course his flight was delayed. After arriving at the apartment he’ll be sharing with me and quickly dropping off his luggage, we went to get some much needed coffee with Deni and the sixth member of this endeavor, sound engineer Vladan Drobicki, who has been at all the rehearsals to be prepared for the recording we’ll be doing on Saturday after the band’s first two concerts.

(link to full essay and concert details at kenvandermark.com in bio)

Svetlost with Paal Nilssen-Love & Ken Vandermark tour:
April 16: Skopje, Macedonia, MKC-Cinema Frosina, 8:30pm
April 17: Sofia, Bulgaria, Club Singles, 7pm
JUST ADDED: April 20: Belgrade, Serbia, Strogi Centar, 9pm
April 21: Pula, Croatia, Klub Kotač, 9pm
April 22: Ljubljana, Slovenia, Klub Gromka

[photo by Can Inandim; left to right: Deni Omeragić, Paal Nilssen-Love, Ken Vandermark, Nino Spirovski, Kiko Novkovski, and Vladan Drobicki]

@svetlost.jazz
@paalnilssenlove
@skopjejazzfest
#Svetlost
#DeniOmeragić
#KikoNovkovski
#NinoSpirovski
#PaalNilssen-Love
#CanInandim
#OliverBelopeta
#SkopjeJazzFestival
#ImprovisedMusic
#ExperimentalMusic
#FreeJazzMusic
#ContemporaryMusic
#Avant-GardeMusic

The process of creating new work and documenting i

The process of creating new work and documenting it has been essential to me for decades, driven by periods early on when both were difficult and the knowledge that Herbie Nichols, one of the composer/improviser icons in my field, had so little of his music recorded (in addition, though he wrote and played music for horn players, there is only a chronicle of his trio material). So, it’s gratifying that two of my most recent albums, by Edition Redux and the duo with Terrie Ex, have recently obtained strong reviews, thanks to Paul Acquaro and Eyal Hareuveni for the insightful coverage (links to both articles in bio).

There are still some copies of the limited pressing of “Broadcast Transformer” available at Catalytic Sound, and Terrie has copies of the “This Is Not A Holiday” LP through Ex Mailorder (links to both in bio).

[cover art for “Broadcast Transformer” by Beth McDonald, photo of Terrie Ex & Ken Vandermark by Geert Vandepoele, cover art for “This Is Not A Holiday” by Emma Fischer]

@54bpm
@bethtuba
@lil.g.finn
@paulacquaro
@eyalhareuveni
#ErezDessel
#LilyFinnegan
#BethMcDonald
#TerrieEx
#PaulAcquaro
#EyalHareuveni
#ImprovisedMusic
#ExperimentalMusic
#FreeJazzMusic
#ContemporaryMusic
#Avant-GardeMusic

Rehearsals with Deni Omeragić, Kiko Novkovski, an

Rehearsals with Deni Omeragić, Kiko Novkovski, and Nino Spirovski of Svetlost began in Skopje on April 13th. We were able to work through four out of the five compositions I wrote for the project, quite an accomplishment considering we had never played together and I had not met all of them until the day before. On Tuesday, Paal Nilssen-Love will arrive and we’ll have my material and the pieces organized by Svetlost prepared to go over with him in advance of our first concert here on Wednesday, April 16th, at MKC.

(link to full essay at kenvandermark.com in bio)

[photo of Deni Omeragić and Kiko Novkovski; Nino Spirovski and Deni; and the ruins of the huge performance center where the Vandermark 5 performed in 2001, sitting abandoned in the center of Skopje for about a decade]

@svetlost.jazz
#Svetlost
#DeniOmeragić
#KikoNovkovski
#NinoSpirovski
#CanInandim
#ImprovisedMusic
#ExperimentalMusic
#FreeJazzMusic
#ContemporaryMusic
#Avant-GardeMusic

My thanks to Nina Polaschegg for their program on

My thanks to Nina Polaschegg for their program on Austrian radio’s Ö1 station which recently featured a special on the work of the Catalytic Sound musician collective, and thanks as well to co-op artist, Christof Kurzmann, for putting Nina in touch with me. This edition is currently available to listen to at a link in bio.

Much appreciation to the writers Liz Pelly and Peter Margasak for their coverage of the Catalytic Soundstream which is, as far as I know, the only artist-run alternative to corporate streaming platforms. Liz Pelly’s book is entitled, “Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist” (link to purchase: ), and Peter Margasak’s article on the book is included in his series of writing called “Nowhere Street” (link to article in bio).
(Link to a free trial of the Catalytic Soundstream in bio.)

@catalytic_sound
@lizpelly

@pmargasak
#CatalyticSound
#NinaPolaschegg

#ChristofKurzmann

#LizPelly

#PeterMargasak

Heading to Skopje, Macedonia to begin a new projec

Heading to Skopje, Macedonia to begin a new project with Svetlost (Deni Omeragić: bass, guitar, electronics; Ninoslav Spirovski: clarinet, tenor saxophone; Kristijan Novkovski: drums) and Paal Nilssen-Love. The group will be performing:

April 16: Skopje, Macedonia, MKC, 8:30pm
April 17: Sofia, Bulgaria, Club Singles, 7pm
April 21: Pula, Croatia, Klub Kotač, 9pm
April 22: Ljubljana, Slovenia, Klub Gromka

and will be recording an entirely new collection of material composed specifically for this lineup. Big thanks to Can Inandim for putting Deni in touch with me and helping with logistics, and to Deni for all the organizing in addition to the music about to be made.

Full concert details at link in bio.

Very excited to help spread the word about two for

Very excited to help spread the word about two forthcoming LPs by Tim Barnes, to be released on June 27: Lost Words and Noumena. Both records are the products of years of work, and include a host of collaborators who stepped up to participate, including: Joshua Abrams (Natural Information Society), Oren Ambarchi, Ken Brown (Tortoise, Gastr del Sol, Pullman), David Daniell, John Dieterich (Deerhoof), Darin Gray, David Grubbs (Gastr del Sol), Glenn Kotche (Wilco), Roberto Carlos Lange (Helado Negro), Alan Licht, Rob Lundberg, Rob Mazurek, Doug McCombs (Tortoise, Pullman), Matt Mehlan, Tara Jane O’Neil, Jim O’Rourke (Gastr del Sol), Chad Taylor, Thollem, Britt Walford (Slint), Mike Watt and Ken Vandermark. As such, the two albums span a wide range of styles, including full on free improv workouts, gentle meditative ECM-style ruminations, angular post-whatever romps and even a danceable number or two, all tied together by Tim’s propulsive foundation.

The first single, At The Threshold, from Lost Words is available for streaming at a link in bio, it features a reunion of the classic 90s Jim O’rourke band, with Jim, Tim, Darin Gray and Glenn Kotche. You can also add or save Noumena to your playlists from a link in bio.: The albums are available for preorder from Drag City or via Bandcamp, links in bio.

@theartistformerlyknownasbundy
@naturalinformationsociety
@dwdaniell
@strawberrymacaroni
@timfurnish
@daringraymusic
@blackfaurest
@glennkotche
@heladonegro
@irvifran
@robonbass
@androidlovecry
@theerealmccombs
@thollemthollem
@matt_mehlan
@trajaneoneil
@putney_swope
@chadedwardtaylor
@wattfrompedro
#timbarnes
#quakebasket
#lostwords
#noumena

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