Kafka In Flight

“Vandermark makes full use of the resources and textures available within the ten-piece group, deploying the ensemble in varying combinations from full band to solo. Each track is multi-sectioned, allowing natural evolution to contrast with abrupt changes in dynamics or tempo. In some ways, they come on like a scaled-up version of the leader’s accomplished workhorse, the Vandermark 5—and in case anyone is wondering, that’s intended as a huge compliment—although as the liners explain, limited rehearsal time meant that complex written parts had to be thrown out of the window in favor of thematic material that could be quickly absorbed along with modular improvisational strategies. Nonetheless, the charts and subsequent extemporizations hang together beautifully ,creating powerful and absorbing statements.” –All About Jazz