Konstrukt & Ken Vandermark — Kozmik Bazaar

Kozmik Bazaar is collaboration between Turkish free jazz three piece Konstrukt and respected Chicago horn player Ken Vandermark. The six track LP/ digital download moves from decidedly seared & rapid free jazz/ hard bop work-outs; onto slight dips into more mellow moments, before switched up to more psychedelic fare. The vinyl version of the album came in an edition of 300 copies, and appeared on Berlin based Karlrecords, as part of their Parnassus Series- which features more jazz and modern composition focused fare.

The album is taken from a 2018 live recording in Istanbul-  with the sonic line been Vandermark on tenor Sax and Clarinet, and Kostrukt taking in Korhan Futacý: alto saxophone, instant loops, vocal Umut Çaðlar: electric guitar, synthesizer, gralla, guimbri. Apostolos Sideris: double bass, and Berkan Tilavel: drums, electronic percussion. 

Things kick off in fine seared  n’ muscular  form with “Diggin’ That Harmolody”- with a tight and punchy double bass groove, which gets layered 'n' bruised by wailing honks, grainy guitar chug, and propulsive drum fills- before moving into wonderful noisy free jazz chaos in it’s last quarter. Track two is the more laid back & smoothly bounding "Semazen"- which sees a mellow bass line been gentle bayed by arbic medoic horn work & shimmering layers ambient guitar tone. The first side ends back in more edgy & tense sonic waters with “East of West, West Of East” with  it's blend of proplisive electro beats, screaming and bay horn work, and rapid punching bass work.

Moving onto the second side, and we have the fittingly title “Ex-cess” which it’s a drunkly muscular blend of bounding bass line, smasing ‘n’ banging guitar tone, and layers of multi baying & awkwardly swaying hornwork. The second track on this side "Bamm!" moves towards to the more tripped-out and psychedelic side of things with a luqid and simmering bass line, densely snapping 'n' poping eletro beats, and spacy droning guitar work—with a on/off addition of more moody horn work, smoked hazed male vocals, and female vocalising. The albums finishes off with the epic "Cocoon"- this just over seven minute track begins as a blend of brooding/ cascading bass lines & space bound wow-wow clouds, but slowly but surely the more soured and wailing horn play sets in and these are joined by uneven slides of cymbal rush, before drifting into more angular at times shapeless avant jazz work out.

On the whole Kozmik Bazaar was an enjoyable vaired release- moving between back beating free jazz, laid back mellowness, and more psychedelic/ spacey vibes. If I had one criticism it would be the tracks could have been a little longer, as most of them slide in aroud the five-to-six minute mark, and it would have been really nice to sink into some of these tracks for twice that lengnth- neverless if your looking for more seared-to-spacy jazz fare I’d give this ago.