I started writing new pieces to add to the Frame Quartet book after the shows at the Velvet Lounge were done, the group will play them at the upcoming shows at the Hideout on the 29th and in Milwaukee, at the Cactus Club, on the 1st of September. These compositions take the collaging principles of the music in new directions and, already at the first rehearsals, the results are feeling really inspired.
The weekend of the 17th and 18th was spent at Chicago Mastering Service mixing the upcoming Vandermark 5 studio album with Bob Weston, with assistance from Fred Lonberg-Holm. After two long days of work we walked out of the building with what I believe is the best record of the band’s career. Both the performances and the sound quality are completely exceptional. After I get together with Amos Scattergood to mix the “New York Suite” next week, the work on “Beat Reader” will be done and it will be time to start focusing on the next steps for the quintet.
August was a cruel month, we lost three major artists connected to the music: Paul Rutherford, Max Roach, and Herb Pomeroy. All of them were an influence and an inspiration for me, particularly Herb Pomeroy during my formative years as a kid growing up in the Boston area and going to concerts with my folks. Their contributions will never be replaced and will always be missed.
To close on a lighter note, the bassist Ingebrigt Haker Flaten received a visa allowing him to work in the United States as “an alien with extraordinary abilities.” Congratulations sir!
-Ken Vandermark, Chicago, 8/23/07.
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