Marker
Marker is a dynamic Chicago-based quintet built around the intricate interplay of two electric guitars. The group features guitarists Andrew Clinkman and Steve Marquette, Macie Stewart on keyboards and violin, Phil Sudderberg on drums, and iconic reedist Ken Vandermark.
Their music is a compelling fusion of complex, through-composed structures and explosive collective improvisation. The dual-guitar foundation creates a rich, layered tapestry of rhythm and texture, over which Vandermark’s robust melodic lines and Stewart’s atmospheric violin and synth weave. Driven by Sudderberg’s versatile and powerful drumming, Marker forges a unique sound that channels the precision of contemporary composition, the raw energy of post-punk, and the open dialogue of creative jazz into a cohesive and urgent whole.
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
New Industries
New Industries
The Best Jazz on Bandcamp: March 2019
“New Industries is a fascinating conversation of dissonance and groove, appealing to both the listener who wants something catchy and the listener who wants to burn it all down. The quintet of multi-reedist Ken Vandermark, drummer Phil Sudderberg, keyboardist-violinist Macie Stewart, and guitarists Andrew Clinkman and Steve Marquette walk the fine line between these opposite forms of expression. Additional intrigue is generated by a double-disc comprised of studio and live versions of new material, which provide an opportunity to compare side-by-side how the quintet approaches the material in two very different settings.”
-Dave Sumner
Marker includes Andrew Clinkman and Steve Marquette on guitar, Macie Stewart on violin & keyboard, Phil Sudderberg on drums, along with Ken Vandermark on tenor, baritone, and Bb clarinet. The band has received critical acclaim for their first two recordings, Wired For Sound (* from The Free Jazz Collective, February 21, 2018), and Roadwork 1/Roadwork 2/Homework 1 (Number Three on the Free Jazz Blog, New Ears Album of the Year per the People 2018; three top ten 2018 critics picks from The Free Jazz Collective).
Their third album, New Industries, is a double CD comprised of studio and live versions of a dozen new compositions by Vandermark. The studio album was recorded in Chicago at Experimental Sound Studio on July 15th, 2018, directly after Marker’s tour of the Midwest; the live album is a document made of their July 12th performance at Milwaukee’s Sugar Maple. The combination of both recordings provides listeners an opportunity to hear the compositional strategies of the music truly come into play. Not only is the music improvised within individual pieces, the spontaneous narrative between each is altered by the way that these compositions are sequenced and layered.
Marker’s second book of material was inspired by an exploration of a wide range of music sources, including the work of composer Mauricio Kagel, the post-punk movement, albums such as DNA On DNA, D’Angelo and the Vanguard’s Black Messiah, and Brazilian singer Elza Soares’ The Woman At The End Of The World (A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo). These investigations led to a series of exciting developments in the group’s material: a broader scope of violin and keyboard timbres, the use of a bass amp for the keyboard adding low frequency power, a new way for the guitarists to perform live while keeping their stereo split intact. Also, to better illustrate the concepts of musical superimposition and open sequencing, some compositions had more than one possible version, and there were a greater set of foreground/background strategies or structural methods within individual pieces, with more consideration paid to “free” playing combinations, and organic vs. pivot transitions. These changes kept Marker’s sonic flexibility intact while giving the band’s material much more dynamic range and impact.
The end result is a real evolution for the ensemble, a jump forward built on two tours made in the United States during 2018. New Industries is released in conjunction with Marker’s first trip to Europe that takes places in the second half of March, 2019. During that tour the group will have concerts in Gdansk, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, and Antwerp, performing their music and collaborating with improvising musicians during multiple shows in each of those cities.
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Compositions by Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music/ASCAP-Cien Fuegos)
Music performed and improvised by-
Andrew Clinkman: guitar (right)
Steve Marquette: guitar (left)
Macie Stewart: keyboard and violin
Phil Sudderberg: drums
Ken Vandermark: reeds
CD 1: New Industries: Studio (dedicated to Robert Bresson)
Recorded by Alex Inglizian at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago on July 15, 2018. Mixed and mastered by Alex Inglizian at ESS.
CD 2: New Industries: Live (dedicated to Elza Soares)
Recorded by Dave Zuchowski at the Sugar Maple, Milwaukee on July 12, 2018. Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski at One Room Studio.
Artwork & Design by Federico Peñalva
Photograph by Ken Vandermark
Thanks to the musicians; to Alex Inglizian and the staff at Experimental Sound Studio; to Adrienne Pierluissi, Robert Szocik, and the staff at the Sugar Maple; to Fede Peñalva, Brock Stuessi, and Joel Villafañe for their assistance at Audiographic Records; and to the listeners.
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.