“Complete Life is a curiously interesting engagement…the leader charges out of the gate with the impetus of a lion on a hunt. He's methodical, savvy and exhibits raw power when the situation demands it.” - Glenn Astarita, AllAboutJazz.com 

Complete Life

Twin Cities native, saxophonist/composer Joel VanderHeyden recently returned to St Paul, celebrating the release of his first recording Complete Life (Mize Music) at the Artists Quarter. Featuring his Koplant No cohorts and guest artists, Complete Life not only fulfilled a dream of his own recording, it also helped fulfill requirements for Vanderheyden's doctorate at the University of Iowa. And while his primary emphasis was classical saxophone, jazz was a secondary emphasis, involving studies with John Rapson.

"The Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the UI typically involves a language requirement, but they recently added an alternative to that, which is a secondary area of emphasis," Vanderheyden explained. "You meet with a professor in an area secondary to your major, and develop a curriculum that will fulfill a designated number of credits...one of the thesis requirements for jazz masters students is to write, produce and record an album. Although it wasn't a necessary component of my secondary emphasis, it was something that I wanted to do anyway, and I knew that would be a great way to motivate me..."

Joel VanderHeyden grew up in the Minneapolis area, recalling that, “As a kid I had always been drawn to the sax, and when my mom found one at our neighbor's garage sale, I was hooked before I even put it together.” He took his first lessons as a 5th grader at the Brooklyn Center Schmitt Music, with Scott Johnson. “I couldn't have asked for a better teacher,” says Joel.  “He had me playing Charlie Parker heads, and I think I still have a cassette recording that he submitted to a local radio station (they had some kind of ‘kids music minute’ or something) of me playing ‘The Entertainer’ on my alto. Very corny, but cool for a 5th grader to be on the radio.” Joel went on to study music at the University of Minnesota-Morris, where he was one of four students selected to perform with Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and open for B.B. King at the 2000 Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. He was also honored as the Keith Carlson Memorial Jazz Award Recipient in 2001. Moving east, VanderHeyden earned an MMA degree under Chris Vadala at the University of Maryland. In 2005, he moved to the Chicago area where he served as Director of Jazz Studies and Woodwinds at Oakton Community College in Des Plaines, maintained a private studio and frequently appeared with the modern music trio, Do No Dawn. A year later, Joel moved back to Morris, taking over as interim Jazz Director. Most recently he relocated to Iowa City where he earned his DMA in classical saxophone and along the way formed his current band, Koplant No. And why "Koplant No?" Says Vanderheyden, "We saw a bumper sticker, 'Coal Plants - No!' "

Joel is quick to point out the significant influences of Twin Cities’ musicians. “I was fortunate enough to have a couple invaluable lessons with Twin Cities’ sax god Kenni Holmen, and an unforgettable one with Brian Grivna that really made me realize just how much more I needed to be practicing!  I will also never forget the first time I heard Michael Lewis and Happy Apple.  Turned my world upside down.  Never had a lesson with him...but have learned a ton from his playing.”  

Complete Life

Joel Vanderheyden©Bob Domsic

The opening “Fall of the Superhero” has an odd electronic beginning, as if a creature is breathing heavily, but soon VanderHeyden’s tenor brings it to a level closer to Earth. “Peas and Detoo” is so named for the way Joel’s young daughter attempts “please and thank you.” Samples of her voice are included on the track, adding to the angular, bouncing groove that suggests the shakey steps of a toddler. Disharmonies among the horns creates tension, while Grismore adds some downright funky twanging phrases on guitar that VanderHeyden answers in kind. Baner’s percussion fuels the funk, and the sax groove is mirrored by Daugherty’s agile keyboard. On his title track, VanderHeyden soars over a variety of electronic effects from the bass, drums and laptop, as if a straight man a Martin and Lewis comedy sketch,  offering a beautiful single line that rises and falls. 

“Gargoyles” is arguably the album’s high point, a pure delight that echoes Monk in its jocular angles. Daughtery’s keyboard bursts with an oddly swinging energy, launching VanderHeyden on a twisting voyage filled with heights and depths and jaggedly beautiful landscapes in between. His solo with just percussion accompaniment exudes control and imagination, Baner shifting into a brief percussion solo that sets the stage for a more laid back spin from Lewis. The closing resolution from the full ensemble is as quirky as the beginning. And quirky describes some of VanderHeyden’s titles as well as the music, such as “Your Medical Eye Patch Leads Me to Believe You Wil Be Pilaging and Plundering... Very Soon” (aka “Pirate Song”).  Here, the two horns harmonize over the bass/drum rhythm team, who offer an ambient backdrop interrupted by subtle creaks and groans and rattles. VanderHeyden gathers sounds that decay slowly, giving a slight echoing effect, as if floating through space or through water where the reverb is exaggerated. The music surges slowly outward, gathering new ideas along the way as if a futuristic round. Suddenly the trumpet emerges gently and takes it out. 

“Tanzania Life Project” pays tribute to Joel’s grandfather’s nonprofit project bringing resources to small African communities.  It’s a tribal gathering, with thumb piano and extra percussion from James Dreier introducing an infectious beat and more brass via Brady Schlue’s trombone. Still it is VanderHeyden whose snakey lines rise above the fray, handing off to Grismore to add some electronic wizardry. What sounds like acoustic keyboards from Daugherty pulls it back to mere earthly delights, extended brassily by Smith, while some samples from Tanzanian musicians briefly suggest the context. The horns star on “Between Heaven and Hell,” briefly hinting at a Miles and Coltrane duel. The set closes with the aptly titled “Simple Elegance” -- an uncomplicated, repeating theme of tenor over the sweet bubbling broth of bass and keys, with percussion and electronics adding to the mix without overpowering. More layers of sound add a majestic dissonance, even a touch of humor. 

I can’t keep track of the many “new” saxophonists spewing out recordings into the postbop universe, but I will keep track of Joel VanderHeyden. While he draws on many ploys that propel the current generation of “jazz meets rock” musicians, from loops to laptops, his inventive artistry offers a compelling palette of colors and harmonies that stand out well above the crowd. 

And he more than earned his doctorate! 

More on VanderHeyden at www.joelVanderHeyden.com. Purchase Complete Life at Joel’s website or from CD Baby, Amazon or iTunes. 

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