Systems vs. Artifacts
Audiographic: Systems vs. Artifacts was created in July of 2016 as a way to release various experimental, live, and one-off projects, to present a more direct record of Vandermark’s creative process. All materials on this imprint will be made available as digital downloads, with the option to self-print artwork (photographs) and information. AGR: SvA is also designed by Fede Peñalva.
Splinters
Splinters
All music by Terrie Hessels (BUMA) and Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP- Cien Fuegos).
Terrie Hessels: guitar
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Tracks 1, 2, 3 recorded by Noid at The Blue Tomato in Vienna, Austria on November 13, 2015. Track 4 recorded by John Thomas at TAC, Eindhoven on September 27, 2014. Mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to Terrie, Noid, John Thomas, Günter Werner of The Blue Tomato, to Fede Peñalva, Steve Marquette, and Miklos Gosztonyi for their assistance at Audiographic Records, and to the listeners.
Schlager
Schlager
All music by C. Spencer Yeh (BMI) and Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP- Cien Fuegos).
C. Spencer Yeh: voice, violin, electronics
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Dave Zuchowski at The Sugar Maple, Milwaukee on December 6, 2015. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to Spencer, Dave, Adrienne Pierluissi of the Option Milwaukee series at The Sugar Maple, to Fede Peñalva, Steve Marquette, and Miklos Gosztonyi for their assistance at Audiographic Records, and to the listeners.
Roadwork 2: Atlanta (For James Brown, Marion Brown and Mary Lou Williams)
Roadwork 2: Atlanta (For James Brown, Marion Brown and Mary Lou Williams)
Andrew Clinkman: guitar (left)
Steve Marquette: guitar (right)
Macie Stewart: keyboard and violin
Phil Sudderberg: drums
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Andrew Wiggins at The Earl, Atlanta on January 31, 2018. Mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to the musicians; to Alex Weiss, Andrew Wiggins and the staff at The Earl; to Fede Peñalva, Brock Stuessi, Joel Villafañe, and Steve Marquette for their assistance at Audiographic Records; and to the listeners.
Roadwork 1: New Orleans (For Ed Blackwell, Irma Thomas & Allen Toussaint)
Roadwork 1: New Orleans (For Ed Blackwell, Irma Thomas & Allen Toussaint)
Andrew Clinkman: guitar (left)
Steve Marquette: guitar (right)
Macie Stewart: keyboard and violin
Phil Sudderberg: drums
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Danny Kadar and Joe Stolarick at The Mint during The Instigation Festival, New Orleans on January 25, 2018. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
N N N
N N N
Compositions written by Ken Vandermark, Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP- Cien Fuegos.
Tim Daisy: drums
Christof Kurzmann: laptop/ppooll
Jasper Stadhouders: electric bass
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Michael Huon at a concert held at Het Stadsmagazijn in Antwerp, Belgium on November 18, 2014. Mixed and mastered by Christoph Amann at Amann Studios in Vienna.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to the musicians, Konstantin Drobil and Thomas Gebhart of Trost, Christoph Amann, Sergio Merino and Arco y Flecha for their assistance with the 2014 European tour, to “Jazz Heinz” Henning for presenting the band in Vienna, to Fede Peñalva and Steve Marquette for their assistance at Audiographic Records, and to the listeners.
Koniec
Koniec
Audiographic Records issues Koniec, a first time collaboration between musicians based in Wrocław, Amsterdam, and Chicago. Compositions by Ken Vandermark, performed alongside Hubert Kostkiewicz, Marta Warelis, and Sebastiaan Janssen. The music resides somewhere between post-punk, Miles Davis’ Agharta, and Can. It is dedicated to Mazen Kerbaj (mazenkerbaj.com) and Mykhaylo Palinchak (palinchak.com.ua).
All sales of this album will be donated to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (www.pcrf.net) and Save the Children Aid to Ukraine (www.savethechildren.org/us/where-we-work/ukraine).
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Music composed by Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music Publishing/ASCAP, AUME/Published by Cien Fuegos)
Sebastiaan Janssen: Drums
Hubert Kostkiewicz: Guitar
Ken Vandermark: Reeds
Marta Warelis: Keyboard
Recorded by Filip Zakrzewski in concert at Bemma Bar, Wrocław, Poland, November 20, 2023.
Mixed by Maciej Pyziak.
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records.
Artwork and design by Federico Peñalva.
Photo by Maciek Bielawski.
Dedicated to Mazen Kerbaj and Mykhaylo Palinchak.
Thanks to the musicians and Ola Trzaska.
Homework 1: (For Muhal Richard Abrams, Curtis Mayfield & Dinah Washington)
Homework 1: (For Muhal Richard Abrams, Curtis Mayfield & Dinah Washington)
Andrew Clinkman: guitar (left)
Steve Marquette: guitar (right)
Macie Stewart: keyboard and violin
Phil Sudderberg: drums
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Dave Zuchowski at The Hungry Brain, Chicago on February 18, 2018. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to the musicians; to Josh Berman, Dave Zuchowski, and the staff at The Hungry Brain; to Fede Peñalva, Brock Stuessi, Joel Villafañe, and Steve Marquette for their assistance at Audiographic Records; and to the listeners.
Dispatch To The Sea
Dispatch To The Sea
Compositions written by Ken Vandermark, Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP- Cien Fuegos.
Tim Daisy: drums
Christof Kurzmann: laptop/ppooll
Jasper Stadhouders: electric bass
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Michael Huon at a concert held at Het Stadsmagazijn in Antwerp, Belgium on November 18, 2014. Mixed and mastered by Christoph Amann at Amann Studios in Vienna.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to the musicians, Konstantin Drobil and Thomas Gebhart of Trost, Christoph Amann, Sergio Merino and Arco y Flecha for their assistance with the 2014 European tour, to Koen Vandenhoudt and Christel Kumpen for presenting the band in Antwerp, to Federico Peñalva and Steve Marquette for their assistance at Audiographic Records, and to the listeners.
Construct 3: Divadlo 29
Construct 3: Divadlo 29
After their first studio album “Burning Below Zero” (Trost), DEK (Didi Kern on drums, Elisabeth Harnik on piano, and Ken Vandermark on reeds) return with these brand new documents on Audiographic Records: “Construct 1: The Stone,” “Construct 2: Artacts,” and “Construct 3: Divadlo 29,” which indicate the new directions in the group’s music and constitute the most recent examples of how the band works and thinks.
All music by Elisabeth Harnik (AKM), Didi Kern (AKM), and Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP/Cien Fuegos).
Elisabeth Harnik: piano
Didi Kern: drums
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Miroslav Skop in concert at Divadlo 29, Pardubice, Czech Republic, on March 16, 2017. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to Elisabeth and Didi; Zdenek Zavodny, Miroslav Skop, and everyone from Divadlo 29; to Sergio Merino and Marta Fontanals of Arco y Flecha for their help with the March 2017 tour; to Fede Peñalva, Steve Marquette, Joel Villafañe, and Miklos Gosztonyi for their assistance at Audiographic Records; and to the listeners.
Construct 2: Artacts
Construct 2: Artacts
After their first studio album “Burning Below Zero” (Trost), DEK (Didi Kern on drums, Elisabeth Harnik on piano, and Ken Vandermark on reeds) return with these brand new documents on Audiographic Records: “Construct 1: The Stone,” “Construct 2: Artacts,” and “Construct 3: Divadlo 29,” which indicate the new directions in the group’s music and constitute the most recent examples of how the band works and thinks.
All music by Elisabeth Harnik (AKM), Didi Kern (AKM), and Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP/Cien Fuegos).
Elisabeth Harnik: piano
Didi Kern: drums
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation of the ORF Radio, [Recording Engineer: Franz Ruedl (ORF) & Recording Engineer: Peter Kircher (ORF)] in concert at the Artacts Festival, St. Johann, Austria on March 10, 2017. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to Elisabeth and Didi; Hans Oberlechner and everyone from the Artacts Festival, Franz Ruedl & Peter Kircher of ORF Radio; to Sergio Merino and Marta Fontanals of Arco y Flecha for their help with the March 2017 tour; to Fede Peñalva, Steve Marquette, Joel Villafañe, and Miklos Gosztonyi for their assistance at Audiographic Records; and to the listeners.
Construct 1: Stone
Construct 1: Stone
After their first studio album “Burning Below Zero” (Trost), DEK (Didi Kern on drums, Elisabeth Harnik on piano, and Ken Vandermark on reeds) return with these brand new documents on Audiographic Records: “Construct 1: The Stone,” “Construct 2: Artacts,” and “Construct 3: Divadlo 29,” which indicate the new directions in the group’s music and constitute the most recent examples of how the band works and thinks.
All music by Elisabeth Harnik (AKM), Didi Kern (AKM), and Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP/Cien Fuegos).
Elisabeth Harnik: piano
Didi Kern: drums
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Randy Thaler in concert at The Stone, New York City on January 8, 2016. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to Elisabeth and Didi; John Zorn, Randy Thaler, Kevin Reilly, Sylvie Courvoisier, and Mark Feldman for all of their assistance and support while I was in New York City for my January 2016 Stone Residency; to Fede Peñalva, Steve Marquette, Joel Villafañe, and Miklos Gosztonyi for their assistance at Audiographic Records; and to the listeners.
Consequent Duos: Series 2F
Consequent Duos: Series 2F
Jaap Blonk: vocals
Lou Mallozzi: turntables, CDs, microphones, mixer
Ken Vandermark: reeds
All music by Jaap Blonk [Buma/Stemra], Lou Mallozzi, Ken Vandermark [Twenty First Mobile Music publishing/ASCAP-CIEN FUEGOS]
Recorded live in concert by Dave Zuchowski at Elastic Arts, Chicago, on November 21, 2019. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski, One Room Studio.
Thanks to Jaap Blonk and Lou Mallozzi; Sam Clapp and Fede Peñalva for their assistance at Audiographic Records; to Dave Rempis and the staff at Elastic Arts; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Dave Zuchowski and Wendy.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photo by Ken Vandermark
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records
Consequent Duos: Series 2E
Consequent Duos: Series 2E
The collaboration between these two musicians goes back nearly a decade, in ensembles like El Infierno Musical (a tribute to Alejandra Pizarnik), Made To Break, and most recently Entr’acte. Despite the years of work, many recordings together, and a number of concerts in Argentina, Brazil, and Europe as a duo, they have only released one document of this material, which was part of the box set released by Not Two in 2014, “Nine Ways To Read A Bridge.”
“Consequent Duos: series 2e//Christof Kurzmann & Ken Vandermark” (AGR/SvA-017) indicates a stunning musical interplay that’s been developed through years of concerts together. Though this sonic dialog is informed by their mutual performance history, there is no attempt to replicate their collaborative work in other bands. Often the music documented here doesn’t even sound as though it’s been created by a duo. Frequently it has the impact of a wide ranging series of concertos- with Vandermark’s contributions falling literally in the center of Kurzmann’s improvised and layered “orchestrations.”
“Consequent Duos: Series 2” follows the critically acclaimed Momentum 4: Consequent Duos boxset (5 stars from the Free Jazz Blog, and now nearly sold out). This new collection of digital albums presents Ken Vandermark in duo combinations with more of the most exciting, cutting-edge improvisers playing today.
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Christof Kurzmann: laptop/electronics/ppooll
Ken Vandermark: reeds
All music by Christof Kurzmann [AKM] & Ken Vandermark [Twenty First Mobile Music publishing/ASCAP-CIEN FUEGOS]
Recorded live in concert by Dave Zuchowski at the Hideout, Chicago, on April 30, 2014. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski, One Room Studio.
Thanks to Christof Kurzmann; Sam Clapp and Fede Peñalva for their assistance at Audiographic Records; to Katie and Tim Tuten and the staff at the Hideout; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Dave Zuchowski and Wendy.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photo by Ken Vandermark
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records
Consequent Duos: Series 2D
Consequent Duos: Series 2D
Fred Lonberg-Holm: cello & tenor guitar
Ken Vandermark: reeds
All music by Fred Lonberg-Holm [BMI] & Ken Vandermark [Twenty First Mobile Music publishing/ASCAP-CIEN FUEGOS]
Recorded live in concert by Dave Zuchowski at the Sugar Maple, Milwaukee, on September 12th, 2013. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski, One Room Studio.
Thanks to Fred Lonberg-Holm; Sam Clapp and Fede Peñalva for their assistance at Audiographic Records; to Adrienne Pierluissi and the staff at the Sugar Maple; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Dave Zuchowski and Wendy.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photo by Ken Vandermark
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records
Consequent Duos: Series 2C
Consequent Duos: Series 2C
Ikue Mori: laptop/electronics
Ken Vandermark: reeds
All music by Ikue Mori [Tohban Djan publishing/BMI] & Ken Vandermark [Twenty First Mobile Music publishing/ASCAP-CIEN FUEGOS]
Recorded live in concert by Miklos Gosztonyi at the Hungry Brain, Chicago, on July 9th, 2017. Mastered by Dave Zuchowski, One Room Studio.
Thanks to Ikue Mori; Sam Clapp and Fede Peñalva for their assistance at Audiographic Records; to Josh Berman and the staff at the Hungry Brain; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Dave Zuchowski and Wendy.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photo by Ken Vandermark
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records
Consequent Duos: Series 2B
Consequent Duos: Series 2B
Joe Morris: guitar
Ken Vandermark: reeds
All music by Joe Morris [RITI PUBLISHING/ASCAP] & Ken Vandermark [TWENTY FIRST MOBILE MUSIC/ASCAP-CIEN FUEGOS]
Recorded live in concert by Dave Zuchowski at Elastic Arts, Chicago, on August 13th, 2019. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski, One Room Studio.
Thanks to Joe Morris; Sam Clapp and Fede Peñalva for their assistance at Audiographic Records; to Dave Rempis and the staff at Elastic Arts; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Dave Zuchowski and Wendy.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photo by Ken Vandermark
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records
Consequent Duos: Series 2A
Consequent Duos: Series 2A
Tim Daisy: drums & percussion
Ken Vandermark: reeds
All music by Tim Daisy [ASCAP] & Ken Vandermark [TWENTY FIRST MOBILE MUSIC/ASCAP-CIEN FUEGOS]
Recorded live in concert by Dave Zuchowski at the Hungry Brain, Chicago, on August 7th, 2011. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski, One Room Studio.
Thanks to Tim Daisy; Sam Clapp and Fede Peñalva for their assistance at Audiographic Records; to Josh Berman and the Hungry Brain; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Dave Zuchowski and Wendy.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photo by Ken Vandermark
Produced by Ken Vandermark for Audiographic Records
Close Up (for Abbas Kiarostami)
Close Up (for Abbas Kiarostami)
All music by Lasse Marhaug and Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP- Cien Fuegos).
Lasse Marhaug: electronics
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Stig Gunnar Ringen at MIR in Oslo, Norway on May 24, 2016. Mastered by Lasse Marhaug.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to Lasse, Stig, Ståle Liavik Solberg of the Blow Out series at MIR, to Fede Peñalva, Steve Marquette, and Miklos Gosztonyi for their assistance at Audiographic Records, and to the listeners.
Burning River Melting Sea (Égő Folyó Olvadó Tenger)
Burning River Melting Sea (Égő Folyó Olvadó Tenger)
As I write these words in Chicago during May of 2020 and look back on the week of activity in January that led to these recordings with István Grencsó and Róbert Benkő, it’s hard for me to comprehend that the tour scheduled at that time would most likely be the last series of concerts that I play in 2020. Without warning the world changed for everyone between those months, and it’s very hard to predict how things will look in the future, for music and for everything else.
My work with István began exactly two years earlier, when he invited me to collaborate with his ensemble, the Grencsó Collective. We both composed music for the project, performed in Hungary, and recorded the album Do Not Slam The Door for BMC Records. I learned a lot about improvised music in Hungary during that week, particularly the history connected to György Szabados. It was a great starting point, and I knew that there would be more work to do with István in the future. In March of 2019 my group Marker did a night of collaborative performances with musicians in Budapest, and István was an important part of that evening.
Then an invitation came from Mario Steidl, director of the Saalfelden Jazz Festival, for the Grencsó Collective to come with me as a guest to participate on the 3 Tage Jazz 2020, which would be held in the middle of January. It was clear to all of us that we should take advantage of this opportunity to arrange some additional shows, and Mario graciously agreed to enable this. In addition to that concert, and with the help of Benedek Kruchió, who has been central to the success of all the plans that have involved István and me, the Collective also played again in Hungary, at the BMC/Opus Jazz Club in Budapest and at the Grand Café in Szeged. A recording session and duo concert (which took place at Meseház, in Békéscsaba) were also scheduled. István and I composed new music for this project and rehearsed together in the gaps between the other performances.
The SuperSize Studio was located on the outskirts of Budapest, in Törökbálint, and both it and the sound engineers were excellent. We recorded all the new duo pieces and a series of trio improvisations that included Róbert Benkő on double bass; those were performed in front of an audience brought in by the label, Hunnia Records. Though it was a pleasure to return to the material that the Collective performed, working on the new compositions was really exhilarating and displayed how far the level of communication between István and me had come. Though our collaborations had been occasional over the two years since first meeting, the creative process we’ve shared has kept accelerating.
The evidence of that progress is documented on this album. Both the compositions and the improvisations, whether duo or trio, exhibit a depth of creative understanding that was impossible on our initial encounter. This communication transcended the music, and it transcended language as well. It’s in all we’ve shared as István and I view the world and encounter music together, laughing in the car as we drove from Saalfelden to Budapest with his band, across the Hungarian countryside, sitting in the bar outside of Meseház, eating lunch in his home with Benedek and Denise (István’s wife). This shared enthusiasm for music, art, and life is projected into plans we’ve made to put a quartet project together that would expand this new duo material. Originally the idea was to meet in the autumn of 2020. As I sit here now in Chicago, considering the landscape for concerts and touring as it may exist several months in the future, I am doubtful. But I do know this – István and I will get together again, we will bring this new ensemble on the road, and the music we make will be better than ever.”
-Ken Vandermark, Chicago, May 12, 2020
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Róbert Benkő: Double Bass
István Grencsó: Tenor & alto saxophones, Bb & bass clarinet, flute – Left side
Ken Vandermark: Tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet – Right side
Tracks 1, 5, 8, 9, 12 & 14 by Róbert Benkő, István Grencsó (BIEM – Artisjus) & Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music / ASCAP – Cien Fuegos)
Track 4 by István Grencsó (BIEM – Artisjus) & Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music / ASCAP – Cien Fuegos) Tracks 2, 6 & 13 by István Grencsó (BIEM – Artisjus)
Tracks 3, 7 & 10 by Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music / ASCAP – Cien Fuegos)
Track 11 by György Szabados (BIEM – Artisjus)
Recorded by Andás Makay at SuperSize Recording, Törökbálint, on January 19, 2020.
Mixed and mastered by Gábor Halász.
Recorded audio formats: Native DSD 256, Piramix, Merging Hapi.
Thanks to Róbert Zoltán Hunka (Hunnia Records), András Makay,
Gábor Halász, and SuperSize Recording; to Ferenc Koscsó (My Reel Club); to Adyton Art Foundation; to Mario Steidl and the Saalfelden Jazz Festival / 3 Tage Jazz 2020; to Federico Peñalva; and to the listeners.
Special thanks to Benedek Kruchió.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photo by Krisztina Csendes
Cover artwork based on Kapcsolatok III by Nikolett Kováts (Hungary).
Before The Code: Live
Before The Code: Live
Compositions written by Ken Vandermark, Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP- Cien Fuegos.
Tim Daisy: drums
Christof Kurzmann: laptop/ppooll
Jasper Stadhouders: electric bass
Ken Vandermark: reeds
Recorded by Bartek Olszewski at a concert held at Klub Dragon in Poznan, Poland on November 5, 2014. Mixed and mastered by Christoph Amann at Amann Studios in Vienna.
Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to the musicians, Konstantin Drobil and Thomas Gebhart of Trost, Christoph Amann, Sergio Merino and Arco y Flecha for their assistance with the 2014 European tour, to Wawrzyn “Laurence” Mąkinia and to all the other organizers who helped present the band in Poznan, to Federico Peñalva and Steve Marquette for their assistance at Audiographic Records, and to the listeners.