Dave Rempis / Elisabeth Harnik / Michael Zerang - Astragaloi (March 2022 Catalytic-Sound)

 

This trio didn’t know how lucky they had it. They were certainly happy to perform again when this concert was recorded at the ArtActs Festival in St Johan Austria in early March 2020. Although their first outing was back in 2013 in Harnik’s hometown of Graz - a live concert broadcast through the Austrian National Radio/ORF, the band has had a sporadic performance history. So the opportunity to reunite for this festival performance was already special. Little did they know what lay ahead though, with a pandemic that was actually breaking out right around them in the Alpine ski areas of Tirol, Austria, an epicenter that would soon be tied to COVID’s spread around Europe by international vacationers. This opening night of ArtActs ‘20 would be one of those last care-free times, when one could sit until the wee hours at the bar with friends, celebrating a night of music- making with laughter and cheer, and with no concern for a shared breath.

Thankfully, these three took advantage of the opportunity to produce a stellar document of their performance. Astragaloi is the third release by this trio formation, after the digital-only Wistfully which came out in 2016 on Aerophonic, and 2020’s Triple Tube issued on cd by Not Two. While some of those records have flown under the radar because of the trio’s sparse performance schedule, that doesn’t diminish the musical simpatico that these three have enjoyed for years. Ever since Harnik’s introduction to the Chicago scene at the 2008 Umbrella Music Festival when she was a featured visiting artist, she’s actively maintained the relationships she built there, including with Rempis and Zerang. Aside from their work as a trio, all three have worked together in duo contexts since that first meeting.

On Astragaloi, it may be Harnik’s wide-ranging abilities that tie things together in such an astounding way. At one moment her preparations inside the piano turn the instrument into a quietly percussive zither, while at another her full- throated insistence at the keyboard draws out the resonance of a full orchestra. Skittering, plucking, pounding, caressing. And while she has the sheer energy to keep up with Rempis’ firebreathing tendencies, she also knows how to rein him in to quieter, more abstract spaces that explore breathy nuance and pinpoint texture. Zerang meanwhile displays the singular approach that he’s developed on the drum kit, rooted in his Middle Eastern upbringing and the significant abilities as a hand percussionist that he developed early on. That approach frees him as an improviser from so many of the tropes common to “drummers,” as he pushes the instrument beyond groove to focus on color, density, articulation, dynamics, and drive, in a way that creates an uncommon unity within the group. There are no specialized duties here, all three of these improvisers roll up their sleeves to keep the narrative momentum moving forward using every tool at their disposal.

Astragaloi is a joint release between Aerophonic and Idyllic Noise in Austria, which releases the same material on vinyl later this spring!! 

1. Milkvetch 09:55

2. Macateta 05:07

3. Locoweed 04:16

4. Lafo Litupa 14:44

5. Goats-thorn 07:39

Recorded at ArtActs Festival in Sankt Johan in Tirol, Austria, March 6th, 2020

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor saxophone

Elisabeth Harnik – piano

Michael Zerang – drums/percussion

Recorded and mixed by Markus Massinger

Mastered by Dave Zuchowski

Design by Make Amazing

Produced by Dave Rempis

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Dave Rempis / Avreeayl Ra Duo - Bennu (Limited Edition Vinyl LP) January 7, 2022 Catalytic-Sound

The winter of 2020 into 2021 was perhaps the darkest time for working musicians that most of them may ever know. Earlier in 2020, when the COVID pandemic first hit, many of them found ways to stay active with online streams, and outdoor performances in the warmer months. But by December 2020, that activity ended as the largest wave of the pandemic crashed upon the world, and most performance opportunities came to a halt. It was one of the most chaotic periods in recent world history, particularly in the US, where the presidential election had just taken place, and where Black Lives Matters protestors were finally waking America up to the flagrant killings of innocent Black people by the police that have plagued this country for so long. Amongst all that, most musicians were left without a crucial means to process, reflect upon, and express their feelings and thoughts in the way they’ve dedicated their lives to doing. So at this recording session in February 2021, saxophonist Dave Rempis and master drummer Avreeayl Ra both had a lot to say.

Rempis and Ra have worked together for about fifteen years. Most regularly since 2012 in their trio with Joshua Abrams, which expanded into a quartet in 2016 with the addition of pianist Jim Baker. That band is a real working unit, having performed dozens of gigs in Chicago and abroad, and releasing three critically-acclaimed records, also on Aerophonic: Aphelion (2014), Perihelion (2016), and Apsis (2019). The diligent work these two improvisers have put in together in that context has slowly caramelized their rapport like a carbonnade. And on Bennu, we get the unique opportunity to hear the pair’s very first duo outing, a long overdue head-to-head matchup.

When this album was recorded, both Rempis and Ra had been locked down for the entire winter, neither one having played with another musician for several months. For Ra, at 74, and Rempis, at 46, this was the longest break either of them had from performing with others since they first started playing music decades ago. Done in one take for an online stream at Constellation in Chicago, this duo session was a rebirth in the midst of those darkest days. And as Ra said on camera during the performance, “this challenge that we’re having is just gonna make the music that much stronger – it really gives a profound, poignant story to tell now, if you didn’t have one before.” On Bennu, we find them digging deep into the existential depths of that tumult and loneliness, while also celebrating the joy of reemergence, and union.

The Bennu Bird was an ancient Egyptian deity/symbol that was likely the predecessor to the Phoenix of ancient Greece. It was depicted in the New Kingdom era as an almost comically tall bluish-gray bird – possibly based on the giant 6-ft heron that was found to have lived on the coast of the Red Sea in that time. Amongst other things, the Bennu Bird was said to have created itself out of the darkness at the dawn of time. Subsequently, the sound of its call as it landed on a rock while flying over the primeval waters of chaos known as Nun initiated the creation of the world itself. Out of nothing, something. 

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor saxophone

Avreeayl Ra – drums/percussion/vocals

Recorded at Constellation in Chicago, February 17th, 2021

Recorded by Nolan Chin

Mixed/mastered by Dave Zuchowski

Artwork by Johnathan Crawford

Layout by Victor Wasserman

Produced by Dave Rempis

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Kuzu - All Your Ghosts in One Corner (October 2021 Catalytic-Sound)

"But their ability to construct musical tension in an almost agonizing way reaches a new peak on All Your Ghosts In One Corner. Drawing on these musicians’ love for a range of weighty musical expression from doom metal to the deeply-rooted spirituality of saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, this record perfectly captures the depth of the abyss into which we faced. And yet this record isn’t about fear. Redemption is found in the life-affirming energy of these performances, which reflect a will to survive in the band’s committed focus and tenacity. These are spontaneous rituals performed to brace an entire community for the upcoming storm." - Aerophonic Records

1. One Fell Swoop 06:21

2. Scythe Part 1 05:27

3. Scythe Part 2 18:09

4. Scythe Part 3 15:27

5. Year Of The Rat 10:02

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor/bari saxophone

Tashi Dorji – guitar

Tyler Damon – drums

Track 1 & 5 recorded March 13th, 2020 at The Sugar Maple, Milwaukee

Track 2, 3, 4 recorded March 12th, 2020 at Elastic Arts, Chicago

Recorded/mixed/mastered by Dave Zuchowski

Design by Make Amazing

Produced by Dave Rempis

PREORDER

Dave Rempis with Tomeka Reid, Joshua Abrams, Tim Daisy and Tyler Damon - The COVID Tapes (June 2021 Catalytic Sound)

At the onset of the COVID pandemic in the US in winter 2020, I was on tour. First in Europe for 10 days with Michael Zerang’s Blue Lights, ending with a performance with Michael and Elisabeth Harnik at the ArtActs Festival in Austria on March 6th. I then flew straight to Asheville, NC to start a tour with Kuzu on March 8th. In St. Louis on March 11th, the severity of what we were facing was becoming clear. We finished our last dates in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Madison, and two days later the country was in lockdown.

As an improviser, it felt like my job to figure out some way forward artistically. So I did what I often do when “working” in this abstract art form feels too absurd; I put my head down and kept plowing ahead. And it worked for awhile. An early invitation to do an online solo performance on March 25th as part of the Quarantine Concerts organized by ESS in Chicago showed one potential way forward. Although online performances sure aren’t ideal in a music that’s based on live in-person interaction, they were at least something. I’d already been delving seriously into my solo playing since 2017 when I did a long solo tour and produced my first solo record, Lattice, so why not try to build on that further?

After another invite to do an online performance at Fulton St. Collective in early May, I really dove in. I launched a concept whereby I’d release a new digital album on Aerophonic Records each week, culled from the many recordings I had on hand of various working bands and one-off projects spanning roughly twenty years. Each new album would be accompanied by an online record launch performance on Wednesday nights, and all the proceeds from sales would be split evenly between the artists on each one, hopefully generating a small amount of revenue for some of my collaborators. Between the first week of May and the last week of August, I produced 15 of those digital albums. The broadcasts were done through Twitch using just an iPhone, all from my closet-sized practice space at Unity Lutheran Church in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago. These concerts gave me the chance to work on new pieces each week, ranging from total improvisations, to tongue-in-cheek pop hits, to jazz standards. It also allowed me to talk somewhat extensively about my experiences in the music over the last 25 years, tying those into the music I’d chosen.

These solo selections make up about half the material on this two-cd set. Knox, by Joe McPhee, leads it off, because Joe is one of the most inspiring humans I’ve met through the music or otherwise. His early spring 2020 solo performances on the Quarantine Concerts made me think, “if Joe can do this, so can I!” We even traded some notes on technology and approach.

Other pieces were ones that I’d loved for years and finally took the time to really work on. I had included “B My Dear” by Dudu Pukwana in a solo concert I did at the Hungry Brain in January 2020, performing all ballads. A number of those pieces would continue to have life through these solo broadcasts, including ”Isfahan” by Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington. That piece is dedicated to my partner Victor Wasserman, who likes to play the Far East Suite around the house on Saturday mornings when I’m cooking brunch.

“The Song Is You” was chosen as a tribute to Joe Segal, owner of the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, whose career as an impresario began in the 1940’s. He passed away a few days before the online stream when this was recorded, in August. I’d always loved this tune since hearing Charlie Parker’s version when I was 12 or 13. Nate Wooley did a fantastic version inspired by Lee Konitz on another early Quarantine Concert. Konitz’s 39-minute version on his 1976 album Lone-Lee is mind-melting.

“Just A Gigolo” was chosen since it seemed to sum up my new life begging online. Talking with musician friends it became clear how dejected we all felt as mid-career or veteran artists at having to hold out our hats to try to restore some portion of the meager living most musicians make in “normal” times.

Finally, “On Green Dolphin St” was done as a tribute to Von Freeman. One of the first times I saw Von play in the 90’s, he opened with it, cut the band out after the head, and did a 10-minute unaccompanied solo before bringing them back for the outhead. My young mind was blown away by his singular sound and approach. Years later when I tried to get Von to do a solo set on the Umbrella Music Festival, he demurred, saying that wasn’t really his thing. I still beg to differ!

The group pieces presented here all came from live outdoor performances in the summer and fall of 2020. I don’t usually like playing outdoors. There’s no natural reverb, so it generally sounds bad. I’m also always afraid that an old lady is going to hit me over the head with her umbrella for playing such unruly music. But when an invite came from Adrienne Pierluissi at the Sugar Maple in Milwaukee to play a Sunday afternoon concert on their outdoor patio to a generously distanced audience, how could I say no? Tim Daisy and I were able to do three of these events between July and September.

Soon after, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival (for which I also work as a producer…) invited Joshua Abrams to present an outdoor concert as part of their “Postcards” Series. He convened our trio with Tomeka Reid for this on August 14th, and we scouted out a location at a park two blocks from my house in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. Seeing how well it worked, I continued this Friday evening series for the next two months. I mostly worked with Tyler Damon as a duo, sometimes adding Joshua on bass, and once adding Bill Harris for a double drum lineup. Matt Butchko, who I would refer to as a “superfan” of the music, generously came to each concert with the same portable mobile setup that he uses regularly at venues, with two small bud microphones positioned on top of his baseball hat. He managed to get good-sounding recordings, even outdoors. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to him for being there right up front for these and so many other concerts.

One of the interesting benefits of playing outside is evident on these recordings: all of the great background noises that play into the improvisations. Check out the overwhelming swells of sound from the chorus of cicadas, the punctuation of passing cars on Lake Shore Drive, and the cardinal calls at the end of the trio with Abrams and Reid for example. Or the truck beeping as it backs up at the end of the duo with Tim Daisy. Or the barking dog that passes through during the trio with Abrams and Damon. Those events all became a part of the music, and they’re presented here without any effort to filter them out, to give a better sense of what the experience of these concerts was actually like.

By late fall 2020, I felt burnt out from putting out so many records in what ended up being quite a busy year. I decided to take some space to further my artistic practice in other ways. With warm weather gone, case counts climbing, and venues slowing down even their online programming because of it, there weren’t too many options left for performances anyways. Going back to my practice space for more solo events felt somewhat played out after doing fifteen of them. As we move now into spring 2021, the future still remains uncertain. But with some luck, I hope to be involved in redefining what “normal” can be sometime soon. It’s clear that things can’t, won’t, and shouldn’t be the same as they were.

by Dave Rempis

1. Knox by Joe McPhee 06:46

2. Toron - Rempis/Daisy 17:18

3. B My Dear by Dudu Pukwana 03:40

4. Skin And Bones - Rempis/Abrams/Damon 22:58

5. The Song Is You by Jerome Kern 06:37

6. Just A Gigolo by Leonello Casuci 03:28

7. In The Wild - Rempis/Reid/Abrams 19:34

8. On Green Dolphin St by Bronislaw Kaper 06:52

9. Glitch - Rempis/Damon 17:29

10. Isfahan by Ellington/Strayhorn 04:19

Dave Rempis Solo (saxophones) and in duos and trios with :

Tomeka Reid – cello

Joshua Abrams – bass

Tim Daisy – drums

Tyler Damon - drums

All music recorded between May and September 2020 during the COVID era.

Solo tracks recorded by Dave Rempis at Unity Lutheran Church, Chicago

Rempis/Daisy Duo recorded by Dave Zuchowski at the Sugar Maple, Milwaukee

Rempis/Reid/Abrams, Rempis/Abrams/Damon, and Rempis/Damon recorded by Matt Butchko at Margate Park, Chicago

Mixed and mastered by Dave Zuchowski

Design by Johnathan Crawford

Produced by Dave Rempis

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The Rempis Percussion Quartet - Sud Des Alpes (April 13, 2021 Aerophonic Records)

This record is the tenth release by The Rempis Percussion Quartet, recorded during a 2019 European tour that celebrated their fifteenth anniversary as a working ensemble. Those are some pretty hefty milestones. So how do they push forward artistically with so much already under their belt? From what we hear on Sud Des Alpes, it’s all about digging deeper into the musical dilemmas they’ve been examining for years. These four improvisers continue to grind ideas and perspectives against one another, yielding an ever more refined version of their shared vision. This is patient work, done over a long period. In the rapidly shifting social media era, one whose gaze flickers back and forth like a cornered rat as it scans for the next big thing, this may seem archaic. So be it.

Listen to Flaten for example – one of the few bass players in the world with a sound and technique strong enough to drive, or contradict, a band this fiery when he chooses to. And he’s all about that grind. Notice how he sometimes deliberately pushes ahead, or pulls behind the drummers in a groove, or obstinately refuses to leave the beat as the others unravel around him into unmetered terrain. It’s this type of relentless questioning that keeps the band on its toes, as one member asks with a mischievous grin, “you sure about that?” And yet somehow they manage to hold the core together, these internal dialectics serving to ratchet up the tension and interest. The resolutions to these episodes coalesce like rays of sunshine pouring through the back end of a storm front. Check out the driving groove that closes out Evacuation, and the hollers from the live audience as the quartet slides into it.

Only a band with a history this long – that of a family – can get into some wrangling like this live onstage, and still produce something that’s both coherent and compelling. This is a straight up circus feat – a train engineer who reconstructs the locomotive as the train rockets down the line.

Unfortunately, the band wasn’t quite so lucky in their actual train travels on the day of this concert. The titles for these compositions come from their delayed arrival to Geneva that afternoon, since the train they were on somehow lost the use of its brakes. It came to a slow halt in the middle of the main line between Zurich and Geneva, blocking train travel in the country for several hours, to the embarrassed consternation of the entirety of the exquisitely punctual Swiss nation. When Rempis called the presenter to let him know they’d be quite late, he said in hushed disbelief “yes, there’s a train stuck on the track that’s blocking everything.” His tone made it clear that the nation’s gaze was fixed on its TV’s waiting for the latest updates to this calamity. Rempis replied “yes, we’re on it!”

Soon after, in a moment of absurdity that maybe only touring musicians could quite appreciate, Flaten was forced to carry his suitcase and enormous bass flight case up and down the stairs and through the narrow aisles in eight double decker train cars to reach the sole evacuation point at the far end of the train. The rest of the band didn't have it much better. Another episode of musical “Survivor,” all too familiar to musicians who travel for their work. The band then passed across a small platform to another train waiting on the opposite track, and continued on their way. Any relation to the music that took place that night? Could be.

1. There's A Jam On The Line 18:13

2. Theme De Yoyo / Evacuation 23:23

3. Late Arrival 11:41

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor saxophone

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – bass

Tim Daisy – drums

Frank Rosaly – drums

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Kuzu - The Glass Delusion (March 5, 2021 Astral Spirits)

KUZU is a hard-charging but patient trio that came together in the fall of 2017, after saxophonist Dave Rempis, a stalwart of the Chicago improvised music scene, worked with both Tashi Dorji (guitar) and Tyler Damon (drums) individually as part of a lengthy solo tour of the U.S. that he undertook in the spring of that year.  Dorji and Damon’s work as a guitar/percussion duo has become well-known, a highly refined and specific language developed through relentless touring and recording over the last few years, with a sound that straddles improvised music, rock, and any number of as-yet-undefined territories.  These two provide an incredibly fresh take on the possibilities inherent to spontaneous composition.  Superimposing Rempis into this mix was a logical next step after the relationships they’d forged individually.  The trio’s debut record Hiljaisuus (“silence” in Finnish…) was released on LP by the well-known label Astral Spirits in summer 2018, and on cd by Aerophonic Records in January 2019.  Their sophomore release Purple Dark Opal came out on Aerophonic Records in February 2020, and the band finished their second full-length US Tour in mid-March as the COVID crisis descended on the world.  Their fall 2020 debut tour of Europe was postponed until fall 2021, but their next LP release The Glass Delusion is anticipated on Astral Spirits in early 2021.

Musically, these three create a highly focused pallet of sounds. At times, spacious gestures carve up the canvas with the austerity of a calligrapher, while at others those sparse gestures build into an unstoppable tsunami of energy. Those waves are never impulsive or impetuous though, they ebb and flow logically and patiently out of simple and clearly defined sources. Rempis’ penchant for pentatonic melodies and rough and tumble timbres combines seamlessly with Dorji’s thick, raw sound and singular approach to intonation, buttressed by Damon’s rapid-fire yet powerful stickwork, to produce a music that’s exquisitely detailed at any one point in time, yet carries the narrative arc of their often set-length explorations without ever losing its coordinates. In this music you can hear the many hours together in a van roaming the hills of Tennessee and Pennsylvania, the plains of Texas and Illinois, and the forests of North Carolina and New England, trading playlists ranging from jazz icons like Pharaoh Sanders and Yusef Lateef to Scandinavian black metal bands like Craft and Darkthrone. While this isn’t a new thing in creative music – broad ears are a trademark of musicians in this world - what makes the pairing so unique is the truly organic way in which they string these influences together into a coherent sound. 

This isn’t a Frankenstein pastiche of bits and pieces held together with duct tape and glue, and a paper-thin conception. This is an emotionally deep and sincere effort to join genuinely disparate influences arrived at only through patient toil. When we ask if Rempis is channeling Coltrane, or a Turkish clarinet player; does Dorji sound like a Delta bluesman, or a southeast Asian rocker from the 70’s; is that Art Blakey or John Bonham rolling out through Damon’s toms; the answer is undoubtedly all of the above. And yet, despite the breadth of the trio’s inspirations, their music never collapses under the weight of its aspirations, fearlessly carving out a new corner in the broader sonic landscape.

1. It Simply Becomes Jammed Part 1

2. It Simply Becomes Jammed Part 2

3. Gnash

Dave Rempis - alto/tenor/baritone saxophones

Tashi Dorji- guitar

Tyler Damon - drums

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Kuzu - Hiljaisuus (ASTRAL SPIRITS 2018)

KUZU is a hard-charging but patient trio that came together in the fall of 2017, after saxophonist DAVE REMPIS, a stalwart of the Chicago improvised music scene, worked with both TASHI DORJI (guitar) and TYLER DAMON (drums) individually as part of a lengthy solo tour of the U.S. that he undertook in the spring of that year. Dorji and Damon’s work as a guitar/percussion duo has become well-known, a highly refined and specific language developed through relentless touring and recording over the last few years, with a sound that straddles improvised music, rock, and any number of as-yet-undefined territories. These two provide an incredibly fresh take on the possibilities inherent to spontaneous composition. Superimposing Rempis into this mix was a logical next step after the relationships they’d forged individually. 

The trio’s debut record HILJAISUUS (“silence” in Finnish…) is a highly focused and bold debut statement. Featuring spacious & light gestures that build and give way to an unstoppable tsunami of energy. Those waves are never impulsive or impetuous though, they ebb and flow logically and patiently out of simple and clearly defined sources. This trio pursues every gesture with tenacity, passing them back and forth until they’ve explored every facet of an idea. Through it all, Kuzu emerges as a unit and not as a meeting of individuals. We can't wait to hear where these guys go next! 

Look for Kuzu to hit the road this fall in support of "Hiljaisuus" with a Texas tour in August 2018 as well as a 2 week east coast tour in October.

Dave Rempis -- alto/tenor/baritone saxophones 

Tashi Dorji -- guitar 

Tyler Damon -- percussion 

Recorded in Chicago, September 13th, 2017 @ Elastic Arts 

Recorded, mixed & mastered by Dave Zuchowski. 

Artwork by id m theft able 

Produced by Nate Cross 

All music copyright 2018 - Rempis (ASCAP), Dorji (BMI), Damon (BMI

1. Fontanelles 1 21:59

2. Fontanelles 2 08:13

3. Gash 14:39

Rempis / Piet / Daisy - Throw Tomatoes (ASTRAL SPIRITS March 30, 2018)

1. To Play Is The Thing

2. The Thousand Natural Shocks

Dave Rempis -- Saxophones

Matt Piet -- Piano

Tim Daisy -- Drums

Track 1 improvised live on May 8, 2017 at Elastic Arts, Chicago, IL

Track 2 improvised live on July 2, 2017 at The Hungry Brain, Chicago, IL

Track 1 recorded by Dave Zuchowski

Track 2 recorded by Bill Harris

Mixed & Mastered by Dave Zuchowski

The Fulcrum Ensemble - Tim Daisy's Fulcrum Ensemble 'Animation' (RELAY RECORDINGS 2018)

The Fulcrum Ensemble is an experimental music sextet organized by Chicago based percussionist and composer Tim Daisy and is a primary vehicle for his compositional style which mixes intricate orchestration with spirited improvisation. 

The three compositions on the group’s latest release “Animation” take inspiration from a range of contemporary musical ideas including: the innovative performance and compositional techniques pioneered by the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, structural and textural innovations connected to contemporary composers including Earle Brown, Anthony Braxton and Terry Riley, as well as the energy and spirit generated by the American “free jazz” movement of the 1960’s and 70's, notably the work of Julius Hemphill, Marion Brown, and Don Cherry. 

The intention of the Fulcrum Ensemble’s music lies in the assimilation of these multiple influences with the hopes of creating something new and unique. Utilizing some of the leading lights of today’s improvised music scene, the realization of these compositions would not be possible without the strong personalities, shared experience, good humor, inventiveness and collaborative spirit of the ensemble members. 

‘Animation’ is the second recorded document from the Fulcrum Ensemble (formerly called the Celebration Sextet – see relay records 016) and the group has every intention to keep creating these unique collaborative sounds together well into the future.

1. Corner Counter 11:10

2. Glass And Lead 08:52

3. Means To An End 16:33

James Falzone: Clarinet

Steve Swell: Trombone

Josh Berman: Cornet

Fred Lonberg - Holm: Cello

Dave Rempis: Alto and Baritone Saxophones

Tim Daisy: Drums/Marimba/Metronomes/Califone/Composer

The second release from composer/percussionist Tim Daisy's latest ensemble, (formerly known as the Celebration sextet.) Three brand new compositions mix intricate orchestration with spirited improvisation, performed by a cast of world-class improvisers. Recorded at the Elastic Arts Foundation in Chicago, IL

All Compositions by Tim Daisy (Split Music/ASCAP)

Recorded on August 8th, 2017 at the Elastic Arts Foundation, Chicago Il

Recorded by Dave Zuchowski / One Room Studio

Mixed/Mastered by Alex Inglizian at Experimental Sound Studio

Artwork/layout by Fede Peñalva

Dave Rempis Solo - Lattice (AEROPHONIC RECORDS October 10th, 2017)

Releases October 10, 2017

Dave Rempis is a mid-career artist whose deep roots in the Chicago improvised music scene have by now stretched themselves out across the world through his multiple ongoing collaborations. But he waited a long time to put out this first solo recording. Highly aware of the singular statements in this context put forth by artists such as Coleman Hawkins, Eric Dolphy, Anthony Braxton, Steve Lacy, Joe McPhee, Evan Parker, Ab Baars, and Mats Gustafsson to name just a few, left him wary of taking this challenge on too soon. But in the fall of 2016, the time felt right. So he decided to combine the development of a unique solo vocabulary on his instrument into the larger goal of exploring and expanding the crucial network of artists, presenters, and fans that support improvised music in the United States. In the spring of 2017, he brought the idea to fruition by undertaking a massive journey across the country, performing thirty-one solo concerts in twenty-seven different cities, while also collaborating with local artists at each stop. This singular odyssey gave him the opportunity to delve methodically, night after night, into his own process towards solo improvisation. It also gave him a new understanding of the multiplicity of perspectives playing themselves out in the improvised music scene across the country. These lessons had a great effect on the music presented on this recording, culled from several live performances along the way. And the record and overall project were titled with this informal but essential artistic network in mind – Lattice.

The music on Lattice is expansive, incorporating Rempis’ interest in his own Greek musical heritage, his longstanding interest in the many varied musical traditions of Africa, his love for American jazz, and his enthusiasm for the seemingly endless sonic possibilities of the saxophone itself. The sheer physicality of his approach – sometimes achingly gentle, and sometimes a full blown fervor that feels as though it may burst the horn open at its seams, is palpable on all of these pieces. But that raw, human, almost vocal quality combines with a studied control of spontaneous form and structure in each piece to produce explorations of remarkable depth and focus.

1. A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (Billy Strayhorn) 6:09

2. Loose Snus 6:45

3. If You Get Lost In Santa Paula 5:38

4. Linger Longer 7:46

5. Horse Court 10:02

6. Serene (Eric Dolphy) 7:25

Track 1 recorded April 27th, 2017 at Candela Books & Gallery, Richmond, VA

Tracks 2, 4, 5, recorded April 24th, 2017 at The Mothlight, Asheville, NC

Track 3 recorded April 26th, 2017 at Neptune’s Parlour, Raleigh, NC

Track 6 recorded May 4th, 2017 at Hallwalls, Buffalo, NY

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor/baritone saxophone

Rempis Percussion Quartet, The - Cochonnerie (AEROPHONIC RECORDS October 10, 2017)

Releases October 10, 2017

With a band that’s been around for thirteen years, one might reasonably ask with a new recording, what’s new here? Are there now dance beats superimposed on the music? Maybe some electronics? A different instrumentation, or perhaps some special guests? The answer on this recording – the eighth official document of this improvising quartet since it started in 2004 - is a resounding no. It’s the same old stuff – a band fiercely committed to reconciling the constantly evolving ideas that each of its members brings to the table as improvisers. 

Sure, you can look at the superficial. Flaten hauls out the electric here for the first time with this band, as an example. That sounds different. But the quartet’s underlying methodology remains the same despite the outward-facing sonic results. The tension of resolving individual ideas and interests requires constant attention, and the intensity and focus for which this quartet’s long-form improvisations are known feed off of that commitment.

Hashing this musical and intellectual dialogue out for over a decade now, the band’s evolution over time is no joke. But those early days of regular work when all four members lived in the same city and could sort it out in a more leisurely manner are long gone. Instead, each one of these musicians travels the world with a myriad of bands, and borrows new perspectives from each one. Interestingly, as each member’s path diverges further, the quartet tours that take place once every year or so provide the backdrop by which to measure those tectonic shifts. 

The music on Cochonnerie demonstrates exactly that type of shift, without moving an inch. A band that hasn’t played a gig for over a year convenes in Chicago to get reacquainted over two nights at the start of a two-week North American tour in the fall of 2015. But the idea of having a warm up period flies out the window as these four dive in fearlessly as ever. Whatever the difference in the sonic output may be on this record compared to previous outings, their fundamental commitment towards reconciling individual ideas into a coherent and compelling sound is exactly what continues to fuel the laser-bream focus and relentless energy on display here.

1. Straggler 32:58

2. Green And Black 07:57

3. Enzymes 17:56

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor/baritone saxophone

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – bass

Frank Rosaly – drums

Tim Daisy – drums

Rempis / Abrams / Ra + Baker - Perihelion (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

This sophomore release by the working trio of Dave Rempis, Joshua Abrams, and Avreeayl Ra shows a band doubling down on the slow, patient approach to improvising that characterized their first release, 2014’s Aphelion. The trio continues to pulsate, expanding ever outwards, yet returning to a central core each time to launch their next adventure. The live sets presented on this new two-disc set document that musical expansion and contraction within the trio, but also take things a step further as the band adds enigmatic keyboardist Jim Baker to the fold as a special guest for disc two. Baker’s a logical choice to meet up with these three; his own trio with Abrams and Ra, although a sporadic grouping, dates back to the early aught’s, and he’s worked with both in countless other contexts across many years. Similarly, a multitude of collaborations between he and Rempis date back to the late 1990’s. On Perihelion, these two overlapping circles spiral seamlessly into focus to demonstrate the gravitational strength of a central core built by decades of shared history.

1. Enceladus 43:09

2. Cassini Division 32:10

3. Pan and Daphnis 08:22

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor/baritone saxophone 

Joshua Abrams – bass/clarinet 

Avreeayl Ra – drums/wooden flute 

+ Jim Baker – keyboard/electronics (disc two)

DISC ONE - Recorded August 27th, 2015 at Elastic Arts in Chicago 

1) Enceladus 43:09 

DISC TWO - Recorded January 3rd, 2016 at The Owl in Chicago 

1) Cassini Division 32:10 

2) Pan and Daphnis 08:22 

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Zuchowski 

Design by Johnathan Crawford 

Produced by Dave Rempis 

Special thanks to Paul Giallorenzo and Elastic Arts, and to Aaron Dexter and The Owl

Releases June 21, 2016

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Gunwale - Polynya (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

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Gunwale - Polynya (2016)

This debut release by the working trio Gunwale matches veteran Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis up with two of the brightest up-and-coming stars from the next generation of Chicago improvisers.  While Packard is known mostly for his extensive work as a composer and percussionist within the thriving contemporary classical scene in Chicago, Wildeman has achieved notoriety for his meteoric rise from novice instrumentalist to one of the busiest players around after relocating from the Netherlands in 2011 to immerse himself in this city’s broad-shouldered sound.  With these varied backgrounds the two contribute noticeably fresh perspectives to the ever-evolving local artistic dialogue.  As a trio, their voice is stark, and clear, combining a love for driving blasts of energy with a sensitivity to the smallest details, leading to music that can be a freight train one moment, and an insectoid microcosm the next.   These intuitive abilities make sense when one considers the trio’s rare commitment to several months of weekly rehearsals before their first performance in December of 2015, a tradition they still continue when all three members are in town. So while Polynya may document a band in its early stages, its laser-beam focus leaves no doubt that these three know precisely where they’re headed.

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor/baritone saxophone

Albert Wildeman – bass

Ryan Packard – percussion/electronics

1) Wire 24:46

2) Bevel 12:56

3) Liner 18:28

Track 1 recorded January 7th, 2016 at Elastic Arts in Chicago

Track 2 & 3 recorded January 31st, 2016 at The Hungry Brain in Chicago

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Zuchowski

Design by Johnathan Crawford

Produced by Dave Rempis

Special thanks to Paul Giallorenzo and Elastic Arts, and to Josh Berman, Mike Reed, and the Hungry Brain

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Rempis / Morris / Reid / Baker - Nettles (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

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Rempis / Morris / Reid / Baker - Nettles (2016)

Released May 3, 2016 

In the summer of 2013, guitarist Joe Morris decided to thoroughly acquaint himself with the vibrant Chicago creative music scene. Although he’d worked with plenty of Chicago musicians over the years, including regular collaborations with percussionist Hamid Drake and reedist Ken Vandermark, it had been many years since Morris had spent any significant time in the city. So he undertook a series of concerts, organized by Vandermark, which placed him in a number of different contexts alongside many of his Chicago-based counterparts, including this string-heavy date at Elastic Arts. 

From the start, this ad-hoc quartet took advantage of an unusual instrumentation to produce some austere and starkly beautiful music. Each member contributes quickly interweaving lines that occasionally burst to the fore, but tend more often to wrap themselves into one other, hiding in plain sight amongst the unified whole. Cloaking their individual timbres into a sinewy mass, the result is a tight and fascinating exploration of contrapuntal improvisation.

1. White Dead 23:14

2. Yellow Dead 09:31

3. Purple Dead 09:41

4. Spotted Dead 05:22

Dave Rempis, alto sax, baritone sax

Joe Morris, guitar

Tomeka Reid, cello

Jim Baker, piano

Recorded live at Elastic Arts in Chicago, IL 

August 8th, 2013 

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Dave Zuchowski 

Produced by Dave Rempis 

Special thanks to Ken Vandermark for his help in organizing this concert.

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Rempis / Johnston / Ochs - Neutral Nation (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

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Rempis / Johnston / Ochs - Neutral Nation (2016)

Recorded live May 21st, 2015 at Hallwalls in Buffalo, NY

Dave Rempis, alto, baritone saxophone 

Darren Johnston, trumpet 

Larry Ochs, sopranino, tenor saxophone 

1. Pierce Arrow 28:42

2. Seven Little Buffaloes 20:24

2016 Aerophonic Records

This live recording finds the collaborative trio of Rempis, Johnston, and Ochs hard at work in the middle of their first full-on North American tour in May of 2015. Documenting a concert from the landmark venue Hallwalls in Buffalo, NY, the trio follows up on their previous release, 2014’s Spectral, having taken their unique approach to spontaneous composition to the next level through the crucible that only touring can provide. On this new recording they tackle two pieces that are significantly more extended than the ones documented on their earlier release, while still employing the same core strategy that made that recording so compelling; an ability to look far down the road in order to anticipate the larger structures that can emerge from even the slightest gesture. The trio moves with patience, and capitalizes on space, waiting for the appropriate moments to strike, always at the service of the ensemble motion. 

As this process unfolds, they employ a seemingly endless wealth of musical approaches, in which lush harmonies dissolve into breathy overtones and tea kettle whispers, which then shift into snarls and smears of sound built up thick and chunky on the canvas. At other times, all three show the ability to swoop in like so many vultures, pile onto a phrase, and then drop off individually as if falling off their own respective cliff. Meanwhile the rough and tumble timbres of Ochs’ gruff but tender tenor sound mix with Johnston’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the myriad mute techniques of the early-Ellington trumpet sections, to create a pallet of unbelievable breadth. This live document truly shows a band at a creative and developmental peak.

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Dave Rempis / Elisabeth Harnik / Michael Zerang - Wistfully (2016) AEROPHONIC RECORDS

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Dave Rempis / Elisabeth Harnik / Michael Zerang - Wistfully (2016)

This live trio recording was made in the late fall of 2013, and features a first-time grouping of improvisers that had never performed as a unit before, despite their interweaving musical paths. Pianist Harnik first came into contact with her Chicago counterparts at the 2008 Umbrella Music Festival, when both audiences and musicians in the city became immediately enamored with her unique and wide-ranging approach to her instrument based on her Chicago Cultural Center performance. In the years after, she began ongoing collaborations with Rempis and Zerang, performing separately with them in both the U.S. and Europe. 

In the fall of 2013, Rempis and Zerang had just finished a week in Krakow, Poland, working with Ken Vandermark’s Resonance Ensemble. They continued on to perform as a duo at concerts in Warsaw and Vienna, before meeting Harnik in her hometown of Graz, Austria to explore this first-time trio grouping at a well-known concert venue called WIST. Happily, Austrian National Radio (ORF) got wind of the occasion, and decided to make a recording for live broadcast, a document presented here. 

While fans of the music might imagine that all three of these strong voices contribute equally to the proceedings, they wouldn’t be incorrect. However it’s Harnik’s jaw-dropping ability to reconfigure the entire sound of her piano from one piece to the next that shapes each of these six improvisations into individual alien landscapes all their own. Deploying an incredible range of timbres from full-throated, lush chords, to the clanging, metallic tones of an Indonesian gamelan, Harnik deftly manipulates her instrument to paint the backgrounds on which Rempis and Zerang then build.

01. Wistful 1 09:23

02. Wistful 2 12:34

03. Wistful 3 10:29

04. Wistful 4 06:12

05. Wistful 5 07:59

06. Wistful 6 06:00

Dave Rempis – alto/tenor saxophone 

Elisabeth Harnik – piano 

Michael Zerang – percussion 

All compositions by Rempis/Harnik/Zerang 

Recorded live at WIST in Graz, Austria, November 29th, 2013 

by Norbert Stadlhofer and Franz Josef Kerstinger. Originally used for live broadcast on Austrian National Radio (ORF) 

Mastered by Dave Zuchowski 

Design by Johnathan Crawford 

Produced by Dave Rempis 

Special thanks to the staff and crew of ORF, and to Ludwig Sik.

Released January 12, 2016

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