Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Svetlost, Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love at MKC, Skopje

Svetlost, Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love at MKC, Skopje

By Nenad Georgievski
April 25, 2025
View read count

Svetlost, Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love
MKC, Skopje
Skopje, Macedonia
April 16th, 2025

There was no prelude, no soft landing. The first notes of "Puma in the Corner" leapt into the air like a wild animal, chaotic and alert. A shriek above our heads—someone channeling emotion so openly it felt like a roaring animal. The energy crackled as the musicians locked in, and then burst apart again. Svetlost, the Skopje-based free jazz trio, opened this premiere performance with the force of a clenched fist, joined by titans of the avant-garde, American saxophonist Ken Vandermark and Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. This collaboration had been months in the making, and it showed. The rapport on stage was organic but explosive. It was not just a concert, it was a living, shifting sound sculpture built from intuition, trust and a shared appetite for risk. Svetlost—comprised of

Deni Omeragic

bass

" data-original-title="" title="">Deni Omeragic (bass, electronics),

Ninoslav Spirovski

clarinet

" data-original-title="" title="">Ninoslav Spirovski (clarinet, saxophone), and

Kristijan Novkovski

percussion

" data-original-title="" title="">Kristijan Novkovski (drums)—are no strangers to pushing sonic boundaries. But with Vandermark and Nilssen-Love by their side, the envelope was shredded entirely.

"Puma in the Corner" morphed from cacophony to a restrained duet between Vandermark and Nilssen-Love, only to erupt again into full-band frenzy. The emotional register was high, the texture raw and electric. There were moments where Spirovski and Vandermark, both on clarinet, sculpted a fragile, wiry sound world, pulling back the volume but not the intensity. The nerves stayed taut. It brought to mind

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane's most searching moments or

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler's spirit cries, but this was no homage. It was its own beast. The second piece—still untitled—offered a surprising turn. It opened with a pulsing drum motif from Novkovski that hinted at structure, even groove. A clarinet and saxophone melody floated above, coherent and oddly catchy in this context. Nilssen-Love tapped delicately on a triangle, an odd, beautiful detail in a tune that moved through hushed theatricality and then snowballed into noise. Omeragi?'s bass motifs kept things grounded while Vandermark let loose, his tenor lines charging like a bull. Somewhere in the swirl, the rhythm section echoed the motorik of early

Pink Floyd

band / ensemble / orchestra
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Pink Floyd. Then, it climaxed in glorious noise.

If there was a moment that encapsulated the night's free spirit and humor, it was "Casino 45." Vandermark clapped out a rhythm that Omeragi? picked up on bass, a simple gesture that grew into a manic, space-rock rollercoaster. Vandermark's solo here was pure abandon, delivered over Omeragi?'s hypnotic pulse until the band unshackled and charged into a wall of sound. Complete and utter mayhem. Vandermark, ever the generous collaborator, paused afterward to introduce the band with warmth and camaraderie. "Key Blanks" offered a breather with its slow, atonal clarinet passages, Vandermark and Spirkovski trading lines with space and restraint. It was a study in tension, not release. The kind of playing that demands your patience but rewards close listening. A speech followed—genuine, modest, grounding us in the shared joy of making and witnessing music in real time.

Then came "Room 1520." The gloves were off again. Pure phonic chaos. Spirkovski dug deep, channeling

Pharoah Sanders

saxophone, tenor
1940 - 2022

" data-original-title="" title="">Pharoah Sanders' ecstatic register while the rest of the ensemble tore through rhythm and harmony like paper. The piece seethed and hissed and howled. It was glorious. The encore, "Alarma (for Cvetan Cvetanov)," was a short, punchy tribute, a punk-inflected blitz with stop-time rhythms and jagged synchronicity. A fitting end to a night defined by sharp edges and open hearts.

This concert wasn't just a showcase of avant-garde virtuosity or just pushing musical boundaries. It was a celebration of possibility and about connection, risk, and trust. For Svetlost, it marked a new chapter, one that bridges Skopje's experimental core with the wider international scene. For the audience, it was a chance to experience music built on listening, on being present, and on letting go of expectations.

An album is on the way. If it captures even a fraction of the energy and interplay from that performance, it will stand as a document of the kind of spontaneous creativity that defines avant-garde music. One to revisit, not for its precision, but for its raw, unfiltered expression..

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Vagabond
< Previous

The Music of Carla Bley: Late Carla,...
Next >

Ken Vandermark Concerts

Oct 7 Tue

Ken Vandermark + Ben Lamar Gay Ensemble

La Dynamo De Banlieues Bleues
Pantin, France

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.