VANDERMARK,KEN/MATS GUSTAFSSON - Verses

2013 release. "Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and Chicago saxophonist and clarinetist Ken Vandermark have worked together extensively since the mid-1990s, in groups of their own and as members of the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet. Oddly, they had never performed duo before March 2013, when they squared off at the Corbett Vs. Dempsey gallery. The result was a delirious journey through extended techniques, intimate improvisation, and full-throttle flame-throwing, with an emphasis on the more delicate, sensitive side. The CD presents the entire concert, all six pieces in the order they were performed. A pair of todays master improvisers, at the top of their game, in a free music summit built for two. Recorded at Corbett Vs. Dempsey, Chicago on March 24th, 2013, by David Zuchowski. Mixed by David Zuchowski; Cover image by John Sparagana; Photography by Jim Dempsey." - Corbett Vs.Dempsey.



"Verses is a paean to instantaneity. Quite surprisingly, this is the first time that longtime confederates Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson have played as a duo. But what comes across from the first note is the utter certitude of their playing. Theres never any question that each can make sense of whatever the other plays, and from this security comes the confidence to take some thrilling individual risks." - Bill Meyer, Downbeat (Nov. 2013).