Search - Steam :: Real Time

This reissue is proof that you can't keep a great album down. Originally released on the tiny Eighth Day Music label in 1997, Real Time features the talents of the Chicago leading light-reedist Ken Vandermark and two of his regular sidemen, but even with these known entities, the album didn't reach the audience it should have. Repackaged and remastered, Real Time looks and sounds better. Pianist Jim Baker is nearly mad with genius as he flits around the keys creating angular melodies that fall in and out of time. Drummer Tim Mulvenna and bassist Kent Kessler swing in the bop tradition, playing in and around the meter, but for the most part, they leave Vandermark and Baker to launch the heavy artillery. Playing more in the straight-ahead vein, Vandermark doesn't squeal or honk as much here as elsewhere, instead playing a dazzling array of notes within the regular scales. New modal jazz with a twist may best describe these original tunes; another apt description would be great music given a second chance. --Tad Hendrickson