West Coast - Music

Born In Warwick Rhode Island On September 22nd 1964 Ken Vandermark Began Studying The Tenor Saxophone At The Age Of 16. Since Graduating With A Degree In Film And Communications From McGill University During The Spring Of 1986 His Primary Creative Emphasis Has Been The Exploration Of Contemporary Music That Deals Directly With Advanced Methods Of Improvisation. In 1989 He Moved To Chicago From Boston And Has Worked Continuously From The Early 1990′s Onward Both As A Performer And Organizer In North America And Europe Recording In A Large Array Of Contexts With Many Internationally Renowned Musicians Such As Fred Anderson Ab Baars Peter Brötzmann Tim Daisy Hamid Drake Terrie Ex Mats Gustafsson Devin Hoff Christof Kurzmann Fred Lonberg-Holm Joe McPhee Paal Nilssen-Love Paul Lytton Andy Moor Joe Morris And Nate Wooley . His Current Activity Includes Work With Made To Break The Resonance Ensemble Side A Lean Left Fire Room The DKV Trio And Duos With Paal Nilssen-Love And Tim Daisy In Addition He Is The Music Director Of The Experimental Pop Band The Margots. More Than Half Of Each Year Is Spent Touring In Europe North America And Japan And His Concerts And Numerous Recordings Have Been Critically Acclaimed Both At Home And Abroad. In Addition To The Tenor Sax He Also Plays The Bass And Bb Clarinet And Baritone Saxophone. In 1999 He Was Awarded The MacArthur Prize For Music. read less