One day in the studio, something ridiculously great happened. It was deep Chicago winter, cold as shit. Four musicians assembled for a round-robin set of improvisations – duets, trios, a few quartets. Approached casually, the late morning bloomed into Largest Afternoon, 15 crackling encountersbetween guitarist Arto Lindsay, saxophonists Joe McPhee and Ken Vandermark, and drummer Phil Sudderberg. No expectations – open minds and creative intent. Lindsay, a brilliant singer and songwriter and one of the key architects of No Wave via his band DNA, has proven himself once again to be one of the world’s top texturalists, and he is an equally sensitive and challenging group improvisor. Vandermark and McPhee brought their long friendship and musical partnership to the studio, and both engaged with Lindsay in different ways, bringing blue flame and melody. The session’s final wildcard, Sudderberg, a versatile drummer who collaborates with Vandermark on the band Marker, brought a lovely sense of buoyancy and ear for contrast in colors, as well as a raucous rock pulse. With parts this stellar, imagine when Largest Afternoon > than the sum. Nobody knew this would happen.
credits
released January 18, 2020
ARTO LINDSAY, guitar
JOE MCPHEE, alto & tenor saxophone, pocket trumpet
KEN VANDERMARK, tenor & baritone saxophone, clarinet
PHIL SUDDERBERG, drums
Recorded February 9, 2019, at Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago. Engineered by Alex Inglizian. Mixed and mastered by Alex Inglizian with Ken Vandermark, John Corbett, and Jim Dempsey at ESS. Photographs by John Corbett. Cover design by David Khan-Giordano. Produced by John Corbett and Jim Dempsey.
Special thanks to Christopher Wool, Kate Pollasch, and Dizzy the Wonderdog.
supported by 10 fans who also own “Largest Afternoon”
So happy to see a new album from this band. I've long been a fan of Mazurek and Parker's work in Tortoise, on top of the CUQ... Anyhow, if you're curious about contemporary jazz, this is a terrific place to start.
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