released September 1, 2023
MICHAEL VLATKOVICH SEXTET
the following was recorded at
NEW MUSIC MONDAYS
@
THE ALLIGATOR LOUNGE
(Now defunct)
in Santa Monica, CA
which was curated by guitarist News Cline
(3 bands every Monday with the last act being THE NELS CLINE TRIO)
Nels graciously curated/hosted/endured putting this together for a number of years
arcanecandy.com/2008/09/14/nels-cline-at-the-alligator-lounge/
the sextet had just returned from its
last 9,000 mile tour of the United States
NOT FOR THE TIMID TOUR
19 performances
24 days across 22 states
9000 miles in 2 vehicles
6 musicians
60 plus compositions
3/6 - THE OUTPOST - Albuquerque, NM
3/7 - THE OUTPOST
3/9 - ST MARY’s COLLEGE - San Antonio, TX
3/10 - THE ELEPHANT BAR - Austin TX
3/12 - THE CHUCKER - Tuscaloosa, AL
3/13 - HOMMAGE COFFEE HOUSE - Atlanta, GA
3/14 - THE TALKING DRUM - Greensboro, NC
3/15 - THE NEW SCHOOL, New York, NY
3/16 - CBGB’s - New York, NY - with special guest Rory Stuart - guitar
3/17 - COCO BEAN COFFEEHOUSE - WAG FESTIVAL - Wooster, MA
3/18 - THE PYRALISK - Montpelier, VT
3/19 - CHAI KANA - North Hampton, MA
3/20 - REAL ART WAYS GALLERY, Hartford, CT
3/21 - THE BUTTONWOOD - Middletown, CT
3/22 - Mother Earth - Albany, NY
3/24 - BLOOMFIELD BRIDGE - Pittsburgh, PA
3/25 - 14 CARAT CABARET - Baltimore, MD
3/26 - ANOTHER FOOLS CARE - Athens, OH
3/27 - HOTHOUSE - Chicago, IL
4/4 - ALLIGATOR LOUNGE Santa Monica, CA
Michael Vlatkovich Sextet
was made up of the following musicians
for this particular concert:
Michael Vlatkovich
- trombone, toys, little instruments, compositions
with
Rob Blakeslee
- trumpet, flugelhorn
Christopher Garcia
- drumset, glock, percussion
Vinny Golia
- bass clarinet, contra alto clarinet, Bb clarinet,
Bill Plake
- tenor saxophone
Anders Swanson
- acoustic bass
bassist Michael Bisio had subbed for long time bassist Anders Swanson
on the final tour as Anders was on the road with Jerry Lewis
not Jerry Lee Lewis
but the other guy,
JERRY LEWIS
Michael Bisio was unable to do the last concert in Los Angeles due to prior commitments
and Anders Swanson had also returned from his Jerry Lewis tour to join the sextet for its final performance
it was also the was the last of 3 tours across
the United States with most of the same members
the first tour was 1991
THE VLATKOVICH QUARTET
Michael Vlatkovich
- trombone, percussion, toys, compositions
with
Christopher Garcia
- drumset, glock, woodblocks, percussion
Bill Plake
- tenor saxophone
Anders Swanson
- acoustic bass
In 1 vehicle
the 2nd tour was 1992
THE MICHAEL VLATKOVICH QUINTET
add
Rob Blakeslee - trumpet, flugelhorn
In 1 vehicle
and the
3rd/final tour was 1993
THE MICHAL VLATKOVICH SEXTET
add
Vinny Golia
- bass clarinet, contra alto clarinet, Bb clarinet
Michael Bisio
- acoustic bass
In 2 vehicles
Michaels music, no matter how difficult it appears to be
was always hummable, if not downright singable
and could also make you laugh out loud
there would be complex rhythms and melodies
and each member was expected to function in every role possible
rhythmically
harmonically
melodically
Silently
sometimes one at a time
sometimes all at the same time
sometimes with each other
sometimes in counterpoint with each other
but always with(in) the same quarter note (usually)
Sometimes you knew where you were expected to solo
(in the traditional sense)
and other times he would point to you in the moment
(onstage in Athens Ohio,
he calls out the tune,
and starts it way too fast,
horns can’t get the ground beneath their feet,
so he turns to Anders Swanson and says
“Bass solo…”
this all happens in about 10 seconds….
should also point out it never happened there again,
before (or since)
and ALWAYS in the context of the COMPOSITION
i.e.,
“If the improvisation has nothing to
do with the composition
then don’t play compositions …………
just improvise”
MICHAEL VLATKOVICH
The music was notoriously difficult
you had to be willing to practice/rehearse/internalize it
in order to MAKE MUSIC with it and in it
in the moment
at the moment
every moment
you could always tell when a person was just playing/improvising(?)
in this VLATKOVICHIAN world,
or they were just playing their instrument
and whether or not it had anything to do with the composition at all
sometimes he would hand out a chart and say
“You don’t have to play what’s written,
but if you don’t play what’s written,
whatever you come up with,
has to be as strong or stronger as whats written….”
??????????????
another time a musician in the audience asked if he could see my chart
as he wanted to know how much of what I was playing was written
he came onstage looked thru the charts and said
“These are all lead sheets, where’s all the stuff you were playing?”
he asked Vlatkovich,
“You don’t tell him what to play?”
“I never tell him what to play….”’
“Well, how does he know what to play.......”
that came from being in the same room at the same time
rehearsing the music
changing the order of the soloists
LISTENING,
NURTURING,
CULTIVATING
ORGANICALLY
i.e.,
Organically only happens over time
Like everything else in LIFE
Elvin Jones was once asked at a clinic I attended
“Isn’t it true that the Coltrane Quartet never rehearsed?”
chuckling he answered
“Yeah, we never rehearsed,
we just played 4 sets a night,
5 days a week for 6 years,
but we never rehearsed………”
(These opportunities no longer exist for younger players
UNLESS they make the time to get together as often as possible
i.e., most do not)
Still able to LISTEN to any soloist in this context
and tell you what piece we are playing
without hearing the tune
just hearing the solo
because the compositions were that strong a
nd not based on “styles”
and usually without a harmonic structure
SIDE NOTE
(Every piece can be played in 3 tempos =
normal,
half time,
twice as fast
if you can keep the quarter note,
superimpose a dotted quarter note across the top
you now have 6 tempos to work with(in)
along with any sub division you hear in that context
not variations but permutations……………
all with(in) the same quarter note
and always in regards to the melody
“The Vlatkovich Quartet doesn’t swing in the traditional sense,
but rather lurches along…………”
JAZZTIMES
When playing this music anything can change at any time
instigated by anyone on the bandstand
but always within the frame
an ever shifting ever changing frame and canvas
sometimes what appears to be written is actually improvised
and what appears to be improvised is actually written
credits
released September 1, 2023
Recorded in stereo at
THE ALLIGATOR LOUNGE NEW MUSIC MONDAYS CONCERT SERIES
which was curated by guitarist Nels Cline for a number of years
this concert series was curated by guitarist Nels Cline,
who was allowed to book every Monday provided that
THE NELS CLINE TRIO closed out the evening
so every Monday there would be 2 acts that had 50 minutes to play
before the NELS CLINE TRIO
this brought musicians from all over the United States and Europe
a venue to perform in
supported by a listening audience
where people could come in sit down and LISTEN to MUSIC
that they would probably never EXPERIENCE anywhere else
this recording was brought into the digital domain and edited
by THE MALO BROTHERS
@
Sculptured Sound Studios
Los Angeles, CA USA
Recorded in stereo at
THE ALLIGATOR LOUNGE NEW MUSIC MONDAYS CONCERT SERIES
which was curated by guitarist Nels Cline for a number of years
this concert series was curated by guitarist Nels Cline,
who was allowed to book every Monday provided that
THE NELS CLINE TRIO closed out the evening
so every Monday there would be 2 acts that had 50 minutes to play
before the NELS CLINE TRIO
this brought musicians from all over the United States and Europe
a venue to perform in
supported by a listening audience
where people could come in sit down and LISTEN to MUSIC
that they would probably never EXPERIENCE anywhere else
this recording was brought into the digital domain and edited
by THE MALO BROTHERS
@
Sculptured Sound Studios
Los Angeles, CA USA
see below for LA TIMES ARTICLE on THE ALLIGATOR LOUNGE
THE ALLIGATOR STEPS OUTSIDE FOR FRESH AIR
LOS ANGELES TIMES ARTICLE
If you see red when you venture inside the Alligator Lounge, arguably the best live music venue on the Westside, it’s no accident. From head to toe, the interior of the 300-capacity club is painted a hell-inspired red.
In the past, the color was an apt metaphor for customers’ body temperatures on a packed and heated night, a common occurrence at the intimate lounge. Now they’ve let some air into the picture by adding a patio. It’s not much: Just enough space for four tables, with an ivy-covered fence blocking the view of the Santa Monica Freeway and some trash bins. But to regulars it’s a godsend--from now on, when you can’t take the heat, you can get out of the kitchen.
This isn’t the only visible change at the Alligator, a 7-year-old venue that made its initial impact as a blues, roots and Cajun joint when longtime owner and booker Milt Wilson was at the helm (Wilson died in 1994).
The booking policy installed two years ago by Deborah Randall, who now owns the club with her husband, Robbie, has become more expansive, featuring events such as New Music Monday, an eclectic jazz happening conducted weekly by Nels Cline, whose trio is the usual headliner. As the only all-ages alternative-rock venue in its district, the Alligator has also become an underground rock haven, with the focus on its free Tuesday shows. KXLU-FM (88.9)--the radio savior for the Southland’s music-thirsty youth--is hosting its 25th “Demolisten” night on Tuesday, featuring Starsky, Touchcandy, the Millionaires and Sleestak.
You’ll still find a taste of country and rootsy rock ‘n’ roll at the Alligator, which features a surprisingly full-bodied sound system. In fact, during any given week numerous genres are covered. And that’s really the club’s appeal. In this case, broader is definitely better.
PRESS
Michael Vlatkovich isn't your average trombonist. He squeaks, soars,
and sears and tears sonic pieces of paper much like a saxophonist.
Quite simply, and with all due respect to players like Jed Bishop,
Joe Fiedler, Masahiko Kono, Steve Swell, and even my all time favorite Roswell Rudd, Vlatkovich is the finest trombonist improvising today.
While this music isn't exactly "out there," it is far from the "mainstream." There isn't a "blow out" or antagonistic section on this disc and yet all of the cuts have a smidgen of unpredictability that makes them challenging. In the end, it doesn't matter as this music shines in or outside of any context.
JAZZREVIEW.COM
"A commanding improvisational trombonist, Vlatkovich is also a devisor
of challenging structures for his bandmates. Vlatkovich loves using word and numerical games to determine compositional structures. There are seldom "themes" as such but, rather, motifs collectively essayed. Around these guideposts, Vlatkovich leaves lot of room in which soloists can navigate. The raucous assembled horn passages have ancestral ties to early New Orleans jazz and Vlatkovich often writes short, concentrated ensemble bursts that hit like sound grenades."
JAZZIZ
Michael Vlatkovich is coming to town to blow your mind. Michael Pierre Vlatkovich may not be a household name.... yet he still manages to be one of the most extraordinary improvising trombonists in this country as well as overseas. Also a gifted composer and arranger, Vlatkovich is one of the leading talents among Los Angeles improvisational players. Working from the Left Coast since 1973, he is well known for tireless touring, bringing his music all over the United States, Canada, and Europe. A daring and emotionally charged performer, Vlatkovich takes delight in blending a broad variety of jazz and world music styles into his own brand of engaging and unpredictable music. His approach manages to express a raw power and beauty within a minimally structured format that allows extensive group improvisations to lead the way.
ARTVOICE
"Vlatkovich is an arresting writer who works with many different forms - numerical compositions, tangos, waltzes, big band swingers, and more. He also assembles musicians accomplished enough to interpret his pieces with verve and imagination."
L.A. NEW TIMES
"Trombonist Michael Vlatkovich served up a more animated mix of gutbucket grooves and extended form at his Knitting Factory set...His multi-theme pieces flow in ways that feel right to the ear, so they don't feel like patchwork or even suite-like. They also leave lots of room for broad brush blowing."
CODA
"Maybe its the similarity to the slide whistle, but something about the trombone seems to attract musicians who, despite their amazing virtuosity, still retain a mischievous sense of humor. Vlatkovich and his ensemble play thoughtful, melodic free jazz with a wry air.....a little marvel of joyous, minimalist improvisation - consistently swinging but never confined by time"
SEATTLE WEEKLY
"With its blustery, swaggering and bluesy Mingus -like rag-tag amalgam of structure (including interesting support for soloists) and open-ended improvisation, buoyed by periodic rock rhythm underpinning which, amazingly enough, avoids any concession to fusion or pop, and odd striking percussion textures, it's a sprawling, spirited freewheeling set."
CADENCE JAZZ MAGAZINE
"The band is notable for its unusual instrumentation, encouraging pallet, repertoire of originals, and its good intentions...Vlatkovich's resourceful writing provided a framework fro his gritty, muffled-toned trombone."
LOS ANGELES TIMES
"The Michael Vlatkovich Quartet, specializes in tautly constructed group improvisations that provide lost of nourishing food for musical thought; their combinded sounds swing effortlessly yet solidly. From '20's style gutbucket testifying to '60's like "outside" musings and beyond, most of the passing century's musical innovations are encompassed. Blend in a healthy dose of humor and a bit of underlying irreverence and you've the makings of an enthralling evening.
SANTA FE REPORTER
"Trombonist/composer Michel Vlatkovich has a knack for leaving just the right loose ends loose and weaving others into knots that are almost impossible to unravel. His arrangements are characteristically sparse - sometimes startingly so- but the depths of his imagination are so densely packed with the new and the fresh that listening to Vlatkovich blow is to hear improvisational jazz for the first time, every time.
The St. Louis born, musician is considered among the top musical and compositional minds on the Left Coast. That's at least in part because Vlatkovich, is almost entirely fearless when it comes to stretching the limits of jazz well beyond the accepted stratosphere of improvisation. Never timid, shy or subtle, Vlatkovich wrings melodies out of his trombone with brute force, nailing together a wide variety of jazz styles to miscellaneous scraps of world music and jackhammer rhythms. His music is brash, bold and exciting-the way improv ought to be.
THE WEEKLY ALIBI
"The skeletal compositions generate an organized spontaniety that is quite striking because the music is allowed to develop in an atmosphere of considerable freedom"
JAZZ FORUM
"In the spirit of Ornette Coleman, Vlatkovich compositions are often jagged and humorous...Vlatkovich's trombone ranges over as wide a terrain as his tunes, progressing form funky bop to slippery high register pranks to walking bass lines to frog-like croaks"
"With its blustery, swaggering and bluesy Mingus-like rag tag amalgam of structure(including interesting support for soloists) and open-ended improvisations, buoyed by periodic rock rhythm underpinning which, amazingly enough, avoids any concession to fusion or pop, and odd striking percussion textures, it's a sprawling, spirited,free-wheeling set."
THE NEWS AND OBSERVER
VLATKOVICH on JAZZ HALO
www.jazzhalo.be/musicians-files/michael-pierre-vlatkovich/
