Ken Vandermark returns for his third appearance this year at Nulu’s Dreamland. This time he is joined by longtime friend and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. Vandermark creates intense modern jazz on the spot, improvising in the moment. In an exclusive e-interview for Louisville Music News, Vandermark said “Paal and I first started playing together about 15 years ago, in a group called School Days (with Jeb Bishop, Kjell Nordeson, and Ingebrigt Håker Flaten; a mix of Chicagoans and Scandinavians). From the beginning we had a great rapport on and off stage, with many similar interests in music and art; the duo has always been an extension of that and has built on it year after year. When playing with Paal I have to contend with density and volume on a level which is pretty intense, and his ideas come at you so fast that it feels like I'm running a marathon at a sprinter's pace.” Vandermark feels a tie to Dreamland because of “the intimacy of the space and the focus and enthusiasm of the audience. Since first playing solo at Dreamland in January this year, Louisville has become a very significant place for me in the States, the "Site Specific" recordings that were made in April (which will be released with a photo book this September) when I played duo with Tim Barnes solidified this.” Showtime is 9 p.m., tickets are $20. A recent sample of their high energy interaction, with soulful and focused segments amidst the free-form playing, is here:

--Martin Z. Kasdan Jr.