Ken Vandermark, Barry Guy, Mark Sanders

*2025 stock* "There was a sense of excitement as the trio opened their first set in Birmingham of a mostly north England tour. Adjectives such as spiritual, energized, even devotional all come to mind. The meeting with Ken Vandermark in a classic trio formation of Saxophone (doubling clarinet), bass and percussion was suggested by Mark Sanders reacting to a tour proposal by the indefatigable organizer of Jazz events in the U. K. Tony Dudley-Evans. The music was like an initiation, a very special meeting of three practitioners in the arcane art of improvisation. It was electric, with all channels of communication tuned to the maximum sensitivity. Later, sometime after the tour, the inevi- table had to be considered - the choice of music for these CDs and titles that might impart a sense of the occasion. The album title Fox Fire refers to a Finnish fable about a fox starting fires by running across the snow with its sweeping tail sending sparks off into the sky – The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis.

The Finnish word for Fox Fire is Revontulet. There was certainly an awareness of fiery interactions within the trio music. Two titles, taken from the Hopi Indian language speak for themselves: Katsina (initiation) the mainstay of Hopi culture where spiritual ties are established uniting the people whatever their geographical, linguistic or political persuasions. Boundaries are similarly transcended in improvisation, and communication between colleagues ensures the rites of passage. And Kwingyaw (the person who lives up in the cold North) which we dedicate to Tony Dudley-Evans.

But what of disc two? Hop varieties grace these five tracks. On the stand the atmosphere was convivial and intense. Off the stand we had the chance to exchange philosophies, visit an exhibition of painter Francis Bacon (a favourite of Ken’s) in London and partake in the tasting of some very special English ales, which became something of a pungent disquisition into flavours, ingredients and geography.Well known are the various hops that impart a bitterness into a fermenting ale. Having explained the sources for the titles, I naturally hope that the listener will follow the unfolding process we went through as we traversed this musical landscape." - Barry Guy