“Vandermark is no slouch himself, showing off his ability throughout—whether he’s on tenor, bari, or clarinet—to call or even raise whatever high wire bet Marhaug throws down. While much of Close Up resides in tense spaces of extremity and contrast, there are moments of sudden unity—Vandermark and Marhaug falling into a pulse, nurturing each other’s half-hatched ideas, or stopping short together—that remind us that not just anyone (indeed, almost no one) can do this stuff. They’re moments that remind us to salute the masters, no matter the occasion.”

Eric McDowell, Free Jazz Blog

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Tracklist

1. Close Up (for Abbas Kiarostami) – 40:16

All music by Lasse Marhaug and Ken Vandermark (Twenty First Mobile Music / ASCAP –  Cien Fuegos)

Music performed by

Lasse Marhaug: Electronics
Ken Vandermark: Reeds

Recorded by Stig Gunnar Ringen at MIR in Oslo, Norway on May 24, 2016. Mastered by Lasse Marhaug.

Design by Federico Peñalva.

Photograph by Ken Vandermark-

Thanks to Lasse, Stig, Ståle Liavik Solberg of the Blow Out series at MIR, to Fede Peñalva, Steve Marquette, and Miklos Gosztonyi for their assistance at Audiographic Records, and to the listeners.