EDWARD WILKERSON’S SHADOW VIGNETTES
Perhaps the best analogy in Chicago is to the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Both the AACM and Steppenwolf were started by small groups of like-minded performers. Both have produced performers of striking talent and originality. And members of both have gone on to earn international acclaim. But while Steppenwolf’s reputation is certainly well deserved, the record of the lesser-known AACM is in many respects even more impressive. The AACM has nurtured more performers over a longer period of time. It has promoted a greater variety of work: while one can fairly speak of a “Steppenwolf style” (physically aggressive, emotionally volatile), any reference to a single “AACM style” would be ludicrous. Where Steppenwolf perpetually struggles with finding worthwhile new material, AACM musicians have solved that problem by writing their own. And while some more well-known Steppenwolf members–such as Roseanne regular Laurie Metcalf–have made career decisions of dubious artistic merit, those AACM musicians who’ve achieved renown have remained true to their original vision of artistic innovation and excellence.
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When a jazz ensemble of this size plays well together, it’s like an idealized version of a large social gathering–say, Thanksgiving dinner. Imagine not the tedium and conflict that frequently accompany family gatherings, but instead an evening in which everyone listens to and supports everyone else, everyone has an opportunity to speak, and everyone realizes that only through contributing to the ongoing group dialogue can he become most completely himself. This concert embodied those rare qualities.
Art accompanying story in printed newspaper (not available in this archive): photo/Marc PoKempner.
