American reed master Ken Vandermark and Dutch guitarist Terrie Ex (aka Terrie Hessels, of The Ex fame) have played together for about twenty years. Vandermark has been a guest with The Ex almost 100 times (including The Ex Unbound and The Ex with later Ethiopian sax master Getatchew Mekurya) and the two are also part of Lean Left, an explosive free improvising quartet with The Ex’ guitarist Andy Moor and Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. But only in 2014, they went on stage for the first time as a duo, and three years later they recorded their debut duo album, Scaffolding, recorded upstairs in Ex’ Witte Villa, in Wormer (Terp, 2019).
This is Not a Holiday! was recorded live at the SARP Social Club in Poznan in 2021, and offers seven improvisations, or adventurous dances. Ex’ wife, Emma Fischer, did the beautiful cover painting. It documents best the invigorating, muscular clash of approaches. Vandermark pushes toward structured narratives and rhythmic development while Ex does whatever he can to subvert any form or structure with fast, restless, rhythmic outbursts. But these gifted improvisers know each other inside out and know how to make the best of such a challenging interaction. They are always investigating and alternating strategies while injecting healthy doses of eccentricity, lyricism, and humor into the energetic, intense commotion.
Guy Peters, who writes the most anticipated The Ex biography these days, wrote in his liner notes: «It’s interaction dressed up like a call-and-response game wrapped up in a sparring match full of agitation and confusion. It’s a manic pursuit over wobbly scaffolding, broken roof tiles, or a creaking suspension bridge… it’s a mystery and a trap. It’s a system, perhaps, and an attempt at something, probably, but it’s not, definitely not, a holiday. The idea!».
Vandermark and Ex walk on a thin wire while using all kinds of acrobatic tricks that aim to push themselves out of any comfort zone. They tease and inspire each other, throw sudden curveballs and short-circuit the interplay, cause chaotic panic, then restore some sort of intuitive order, and insist that we all should be considering spending our holiday savings on their next tour.
Eyal Hareuveni
Ken Vandermark (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, clarinet), Terrie Ex (guitar)
