Among Verticals

by Ben van Gelder

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    Classic black vinyl

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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Among Verticals on coloured vinyl. Includes digital download

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1.
In Retrospect 02:20
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2.
Silver/ Grey 06:57
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3.
Vagaries 02:23
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4.
Charles 03:36
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5.
Pause 07:09
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6.
Ripple 01:11
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7.
Among Verticals 05:42
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8.
In Motion 06:13
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9.
On Impulse 01:27
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10.
Silver/ Grey Reprise 04:15
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11.
Freeze 02:25
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12.
Wig Wise 04:34
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13.
Ongoing 04:36
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14.
Report from the Field 01:57
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about

The record marks an important new episode in the career of the Dutch born, New York based artist. Among Verticals is a highly personal statement of colourful imagination, boasting both evocative writing and ingenuous execution. Van Gelder’s artistic vision is realised by a group of extraordinary musicians who count as some of the most talented of their generation. Many of them have been friends and musical collaborators for more than a decade. The band features vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, bassist Rick Rosato, drummer Craig Weinrib, pianist Sam Harris, tenor saxophonist Kyle Wilson and trumpeter Philip Dizack.

The music is, in part, a product of the Jazz Gallery’s prestigious residency commission. During his month-long residency, Van Gelder was granted the opportunity to compose music on a daily basis at the New York City venue. Part of his creative routine included visits to the museum. On one such occasion he encountered a magnetizing work by the abstract painter František Kupka entitled Madame Kupka Dans Les Verticales (1911).
Pictured is the painter’s wife, her eyes closed, surrounded by broad vertical brushstrokes that threaten to drown her in a sea of expressionistic color. Kupka breaks with conventional approaches of illusionism and renders a portrait that borders between abstraction and figuration, an image with a strong unspoken narrative, where the familiar is structured in an unfamiliar way.

“I saw formal parallels that I could translate to my own artistic process. But the painting and its title also made me consider the verticals, concrete and abstract, that comprise the city of New York. There are recurring harmonic, melodic and rhythmic devices used throughout the music that are meant to articulate these verticals.”

Since the residency, the music has been expanded, revised and newly orchestrated. The album is expansive with a total of fourteen songs, drawing from a plethora of influences including Morton Feldman, Mwandishi, Han Bennink and Craig Taborn. Wig Wise (the only composition not written by Van Gelder) merges the seminal versions of Duke Ellington (Money Jungle, 1962) and Jason Moran (Facing Left, 2000) with his own, reconciling historical baggage with personal interpretation.

“The music as a whole is an ode to New York in many ways. It is a reflection of a decade spent in a city with unparalleled diversity and stimulus. To my mentors who remind me of the iconoclasts, to the people who offer the time and space necessary to create, to my fellow musicians and their ever-growing development. And to the people who listen.“

credits

released January 5, 2017

Ben van Gelder - alto saxophone/ bass clarinet compositions
Kyle Wilson - tenor saxophone
Philip Dizack - trumpet
Rick Rosato - bass
Sam Harris - piano
Craig Weinrib - drums
Peter Schlamb - vibraphone

Recorded by Chris Allen and Owen Mulholland at Sear Sound in New York on August 8th and 11th 2016.

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Ben van Gelder Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ben van Gelder (1988) is regarded internationally as an authority on the alto saxophone. Peers and critics alike praise him for his unique sound, lyricism and overall personal approach . His music is firmly rooted in jazz tradition but embraces many other musical genres and disciplines. Visual art in particular plays a prominent role in his practice, and often serves as a framework for his music. ... more

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