The Resonance Ensemble
A dynamic avant-garde jazz collective led by saxophonist and composer Ken Vandermark. Active primarily between 2009 and 2014, the group brought together some of the most innovative improvisers from Chicago and Europe, including trombonist Steve Swell, bassist Mark Tokar, and drummer Tim Daisy. Their music blended structured compositions with explosive free improvisation, drawing from post-bop, free jazz, and contemporary experimental traditions.
Notable for its shifting lineup and bold sonic textures, the ensemble released critically acclaimed albums like Resonance (2009) and What Country Is This? (2012), showcasing Vandermark’s talent for balancing chaos and cohesion. Though no longer active, Resonance Ensemble remains a standout project in Vandermark’s vast discography, representing a high point in 21st-century creative music.
What Country Is This?
What Country Is This?
“One of Ken Vandermark’s larger ensembles, Resonance, has always expressed itself with poetic vibrancy. On the groups latest, What Country Is This?, they again explore sound through a series of rising arches and steady calms. And as usual, spanning three long epic pieces that investigate some of the influences of Vandermark.” -Stephan Moore
Excerpt from liner notes by Ken Vandermark:
In mid December of 2004, for some completely unknown reason, a complimentary issue of Time Magazine showed up in my mailbox. I hate the periodical, never read it except when I’m at the dentist, so I have no idea why it arrived. On the front cover was George W. Bush’s face, he had been selected as “Person of the Year” by the magazine’s editors after his reelection as president. Just one more reason to hate the publication. As I flipped through the pages with masochistic curiosity while drinking my morning coffee, I came across the following, an excerpt from Late Ripeness, written by Czeslaw Milosz
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Ken Vandermark – baritone sax & Bb clarinet
Per-Åke Holmlander – tuba
Magnus Broo – trumpet
Michael Zerang – drums
Tim Daisy – drums
Devin Hoff – bass
Mikołaj Trzaska – alto sax & bass clarinet
Dave Rempis – alto & tenor sax
Wacław Zimpel – Bb & bass clarinet
Steve Swell – trombone
Recorded: at STROBE STUDIOS, Chicago, on March 7, 2011 by BOB WESTON.
Mixed by BOB WESTON & KEN VANDERMARK at Chicago Mastering Service.
Mastered by BOB WESTON at CMS.
Typography, photos & design by MAREK WAJDA
The Resonance Ensemble
The Resonance Ensemble
“Resonance band is one of the most important groups in Ken Vandermark’s immense assortment of undertakings, which not only revisit several decades of history of jazz history art form (from Sonny Rollins to Stan Kenton, to Cecil Taylor, to Ornette Coleman, to Eric Dolphy, to …), but also writes some new and fascinating chapters…” -Polish Jazz com
Ken Vandermark – tenor & baritone saxes, clarinet
Yuriy Yaremchuk – tenor & soprano saxes, bass clarinet
Mikolaj Trzaska – alto sax, bass clarinet
Mark Tokar – bass
Steve Swell – trombone
Dave Rempis – tenor & alto saxes
Per-Âke Holmlander – tuba
Tim Daisy – drums
Magnus Broo – trumpet
Michael Zerang – drums, percussion
Recorded in Krakow, Poland between November 12 and 16, 2007, and in Lvov, Ukraine on November 17, 2007
Kafka In Flight
Kafka In Flight
“Vandermark makes full use of the resources and textures available within the ten-piece group, deploying the ensemble in varying combinations from full band to solo. Each track is multi-sectioned, allowing natural evolution to contrast with abrupt changes in dynamics or tempo. In some ways, they come on like a scaled-up version of the leader’s accomplished workhorse, the Vandermark 5—and in case anyone is wondering, that’s intended as a huge compliment—although as the liners explain, limited rehearsal time meant that complex written parts had to be thrown out of the window in favor of thematic material that could be quickly absorbed along with modular improvisational strategies. Nonetheless, the charts and subsequent extemporizations hang together beautifully ,creating powerful and absorbing statements.” –All About Jazz
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Magnus Broo-trumpet
Michael Zerang-drums
Ken Vandermark-tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet
Mikolaj Trzaska-alto saxophone, bass clarinet
Mark Tokar-bass
Steve Swell-trombone
Dave Rempis-alto saxophone, tenor saxophone
Per-åke Holmlander-tuba
Tim Daisy-drums
Waclaw Zimpel-Bb clarinet, bass clarinet, taragato
Recorded in concert at the Philharmonic Hall, Gdansk, Poland, on October 31, 2009.
Mixed by Bob Weston and Ken Vandermark at Chicago Mastering Service.
Head Above Water / Feet Out Of The Fire
Head Above Water / Feet Out Of The Fire
“There is something to be said for the sequence of tracks on a recording. Only seconds after the opening kick to the embouchure, comes Elegy for Two Rooms (For Fred Anderson and Von Freeman). It is like watching a tear from in the corner of someone’s eye and over the course of 10 minutes, you study intently as it rolls down the face leaving a trail of itself, and distant pleasant memories, until it slows down over the cheek bone and pauses on the chin before slightly darkening the fabric of the shirt it gets absorbed into. Listen.” -Phillip Coombs, Free Jazz Blog
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Magnus Broo – trumpet (Stockholm)
Michael Zerang – drums (Chicago)
Ken Vandermark – tenor saxophone, Bb clarinet (Chicago)
Mikolaj Trzaska – alto saxophone, bass clarinet (Gdansk)
Devin Hoff – bass (Chicago)
Steve Swell – trombone (New York)
Dave Rempis – alto & tenor saxophones (Chicago)
Per-Âke Holmlander – tuba (Stockholm)
Tim Daisy – drums (Chicago)
Waclaw Zimpel – Bb & bass clarinet, taragato (Warsaw)
Mark Tokar – acoustic bass (Lviv)
Disc 1 recorded August 29th, 2012 at Strobe Recording, Chicago – Recorded by Bob Weston
Disc 2 recorded live in concert March 17th at the Kunstencentrum, Belgie, Hasselt – Recored by Michael W. Huon
Mixed by Bob Weston and Ken Vandermark
Mastered by Bob Weston
Cover Design by Marek Wajda
Double Arc
Double Arc
Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet – Mikołaj Trzaska
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone – Dave Rempis
Baritone Saxophone, Clarinet [Bb] – Ken Vandermark
Bass – Mark Tokar
Clarinet [Bb], Alto Clarinet – Wacław Zimpel
Drums – Michael Zerang, Tim Daisy
Electronics [LLoopp] – Christof Kurzmann
Trombone – Steve Swell
Trumpet – Magnus Broo
Tuba – Per-Åke Holmlander
Recorded November 24 2013 at the Manggha Culture Center
Mixed By, Mastered By – Bob Weston & Ken Vandermark
Liner Notes by – Ken Vandermark
Cover – Marek Wajda
Photography By – Krzysztof Penarski
Producer – Marek Winiarski
Recorded By – Rafal Drewniany
All compositions by Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music / ASCAP)
Not Two 936
Released September 2015