Sax and clarinet player Ken Vandermark is a representative of the fickle and controversial modern impro-scene, firmly rooted in Chicago. His 'hardcore' free jazz, as he brings it with his group Vandermark 5, is reaching a young, alternative public. Since 1982, the American has continually been overseeing the possibilities of improvised music, especially after he moved from Boston to Chicago, where he worked with various impro-ensembles. His own Vandermark 5 and the DKV trio, with drummer Hamid Drake and bass player Kent Kessler (also bass player in VanderMark 5), with whom he performed at the festival two years ago, have gone on to play an important role in the jazz circuit there. This is also due to VanderMark's cooperation with music journalist John Corbett, with whom he organizes the weekly 'Empty Bottle Wednesday Night Jazz Series' - evenings during which the world's best improvisers play. In 2000 the musician was elected 'Jazz Artist of The Year, Most Deserving Wider Recognition' in Down Beat Magazine.
