Solid Action (Ken Vandermark album)

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, drummer Michael Zerang and multi-instrumentalist Daniel Scanlan replacing former guitarist Todd Colburn.[1]

Solid Action
Studio album by
Released1994
RecordedMay 29 & 30, 1994
StudioAcme Recording Studio, Chicago
GenreJazz
Length61:12
LabelPlatypus
Ken Vandermark chronology
Caffeine
(1994)
Solid Action
(1994)
Standards
(1995)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
DownBeat     [4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz    [3]

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."[2]

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."[3]

The DownBeat 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."[4]

Track listing

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All compositions by Ken Vandermark except as indicated
  1. "Tasteless" – 4:14
  2. "Catch 22" – 15:32
  3. "Le Saucisse de Fer" (Michael Zerang) – 6:40
  4. "Bucket" – 14:36
  5. "Leadfoot" – 5:30
  6. "For What It Is" (Todd Colburn) – 5:24
  7. "Let's Talk About Death" (Kent Kessler) – 9:16

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ Original Liner Notes by John Corbett
  2. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. Ken Vandermark – Solid Action: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2002). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (6th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 1487. ISBN 0140515216.
  4. ^ a b Shoemaker, Bill. Solid Action review. DownBeat September 95: page 46. Print.