MUSIC

Nameless Sound presents Ab Baars Trio & Ken Vandermark, Saturday, April 11 at 8pm at TBH Center.

"Amsterdam Meets Chicago" Ab Baars Trio & Ken Vandermark Ab Baars (Amsterdam) - tenor saxophone, clarinet, shakuhachi Ken Vandermark (Chicago) - tenor saxophone, clarinet Wilbert de Joode (Amsterdam) - bass Martin van Duynhoven (Amsterdam) - drums A highly distinctive voice from the fertile Dutch jazz scene, Ab Baars brings an idiosyncratic creativity into combination with skill and knowledge of his music's roots.

Though his music has been described as "joyfully obstinate", it has an undeniable and colorful catchy-ness that stems from its stripped essence. As an instrumentalist, Baars has been influenced by (among others) American Jazz greats like Roscoe Mitchell and John Carter (both of whom he has worked with). As a composer/improvisor/band-leader Baars displays all of the musical characteristics that have come to define the Dutch creative music scene: open forms, varied improvisational strategies, wacky use of juxtaposition, and an unwillingness to treat jazz—or any music—as a fixed art form.

Ab Baars is an important member of The ICP Orchestra, the defining group of Dutch jazz. Named as one of the 25 most significant improvising musicians under 40 by Downbeat magazine, Ken Vandermark has been a powerful and influential voice in contemporary jazz, both on and off the stage. He's the leader of dozens of bands and a valued collaborator to some of the most exciting artists working today. He's an important organizer of concerts and festivals. He also, at the age of 35, received the prestigious "Genius Grant" from the MacArthur Foundation.

All of the (well-deserved) credentials, accolades, and associations sometimes distract from the most notable thing about Ken Vandermark: he's one of the most moving and powerful saxophone stylists working in the music today. His strong instrumental voice can shift from an oblique angularity to a comfortable and rocking back-beat. He is equally at home when swinging "in the pocket" or stretching the music to its outer limits. Though he has a distinctive style, the breadth of Vandermark's projects is a testament to his vital creativity. For more information about Ab Baars: www.stichtingwig.com  

For more information about Ken Vandermark: www.kenvandermark.com  

For more information about Wilbert de Joode: www.wilbertdejoode.com