Turns out that there was some kind of “miscommunication” with the organizer whose name turns out to be, ironically, Kenneth. Things finally get sorted out and we go to soundcheck after Peter and I visit an art museum filled with very derivative Modernist art from Denmark. When we arrive at the venue the 2nd performer is still doing his soundcheck and it’s a worst case scenario- he’s an electronics musician who sings and is performing with a film, just the kind of thing Peter hates. We set up our horns and Peter immediately lays into some hard blowing with his clarinet. This immediately leads to a bit of a “discussion” between Peter and the other musician, who is from France, which culminates in him telling Peter in a thick accent, “I am a lover, not a fighter. I do not want to fight, I love music, I love your clarinet.” This was met with more clarinet blasts. I couldn’t imagine things going more badly than they were but somehow Peter kept his gallows humor going until the end of the night. The acoustics of the venue were completely dead, sound collapsing a millimeter from the bells of the horns. A small but appreciative turned out, the feeling that we did the best we could with what we were dealt with over the last 24 hours gave us some satisfaction. After dinner I got on a 1:30am train to Copenhagen to start a 17 hour journey to meet the Ex & Brass Unbound in Brindisi in order to start recording an album at Roy Paci’s studio, to be followed followed by a short tour in Italy. Of course when I arrived my suitcase didn’t make it with me- thank you Alitalia! Sonore in Salzburg:
1 2
© 2024 Ken Vandermark – musician & composer | Disclaimer