''Solid Action'' is an album by the American jazz reedist
Ken Vandermark, recorded in 1994 and released on Platypus. It was the second record by the Vandermark Quartet, which includes bassist
Kent Kessler
Kent Kessler (born January 28, 1957) is an American jazz double-bassist.
Career
Although born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Kessler grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He began playing trombone at age ten. When he was thirteen, he moved with his f ...
, drummer Michael Zerang and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Scanlan replacing former guitarist Todd Colburn.
[Original Liner Notes by John Corbett]
Reception
In his review for
AllMusic, Thom Jurek states: "Listening to this music now is breathtaking; it feels shamanic and brave and it engages the listener immediately with the force of both conviction and humor."
''
The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' claims that "''Solid Action'' is Vandermark's first shot at greatness, with Scanlan a tremendously exciting figure on all of three of his instruments."
The ''
DownBeat
' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
'' review by Bill Shoemaker states: "This band's second outing is a persuasive statement of Vandermark's ability to harness rock's gut-rending intensity to post-Coleman jazz's quest for liberating new structures."
[Shoemaker, Bill. ''Solid Action'' review. ''DownBeat'' September 95: page 46. Print.]
Track listing
:''All compositions by Ken Vandermark except as indicated''
# "Tasteless" – 4:14
# "Catch 22" – 15:32
# "Le Saucisse de Fer" (Michael Zerang) – 6:40
# "Bucket" – 14:36
# "Leadfoot" – 5:30
# "For What It Is" (Todd Colburn) – 5:24
# "Let's Talk About Death" (
Kent Kessler
Kent Kessler (born January 28, 1957) is an American jazz double-bassist.
Career
Although born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Kessler grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He began playing trombone at age ten. When he was thirteen, he moved with his f ...
) – 9:16
Personnel
*
Ken Vandermark –
tenor saxophone,
clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound.
Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...
,
bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...
*Daniel Scanlan –
violin,
guitar,
cornet
The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...
*
Kent Kessler
Kent Kessler (born January 28, 1957) is an American jazz double-bassist.
Career
Although born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, Kessler grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He began playing trombone at age ten. When he was thirteen, he moved with his f ...
–
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
*Michael Zerang –
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
References
{{Authority control
1994 albums
Ken Vandermark albums