Home » Jazz Articles » Dave Rempis
Jazz Articles about Dave Rempis
Dave Rempis: Lattice
by John Sharpe
Since the AACM pioneered solo instrumental performance it has become a rite of passage for most creative musicians. In some ways the surprise is that saxophonist Dave Rempis, as one of the most fluent improvisers of his generation, has waited until now to record his first unaccompanied recital. That he rises to the challenge should be less of a surprise. Rempis initially came to prominence in the Vandermark 5 serving as a compelling foil to the leader, but ...
Continue ReadingThe Rempis Percussion Quartet: Cochonnerie
by John Sharpe
An unchanged line up on the eighth release from saxophonist Dave Rempis' Percussion Quartet signals a generous helping of rowdy energy and inspired oratory. As the name implies, the drums loom large with two distinctive practitioners in Tim Daisy on the left and Frank Rosaly on the right well separated in the mix (from information supplied by Rempis, not on the sleeve), fuelling the leader's stratospheric flights. Bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, well-known as one third of The Thing and a ...
Continue ReadingDave Rempis: Lattice
by Mark Corroto
I recall an interview with a lionized baby boomer saxophonist, who told the story of listening to side one, and only side one, of John Coltrane's A Love Supreme (Impulse!, 1965). He was reluctant to turn the LP over (this was in the pre-digital era), thinking side two could never match the majesty of “Acknowledgement" and “Resolution." One could have a similar experience with track one of saxophonist Dave Rempis' Lattice. His six-minute take on Billy Strayhorn's “A Flower Is ...
Continue ReadingDave Rempis, Joshua Abrams, Avreeayl Ra + Jim Baker: Perihelion
by Enrico Bettinello
È un musicista generoso e attivissimo, il sassofonista Dave Rempis, che molti conoscono come fantastico “specchio" di Ken Vandermark nei Vandermark 5. Merito di un'attitudine fortemente e ostinatamente free, della capacità di utilizzare tre strumenti (il contralto, il tenore e il baritono) con grande equilibrio funzionale e, non ultimo, di lavorare con continuità con alcuni colleghi con cui c'è una chiara affinità. È il caso certo del trio Ballister o del Percussion Quartet, ma anche del triangolo ...
Continue ReadingDave Rempis/Joshua Abrams/Avreeayl Ra + Jim Baker: Perihelion
by Mark Corroto
These days, it's a luxury to have a working jazz band. It's funny to think in those terms, isn't it? Sure, that was a nice record, you think. But modern musicians, particularly jazz musician often play in multiple ensembles, in theatre productions, teach music lessons privately, and curate local music series. These things are often accomplished after their day jobs. So, yes, it is a luxury to have a working jazz band. Saxophonist Dave Rempis has several working ...
Continue ReadingChicago Reed Quartet: Western Automatic
by John Sharpe
After a heyday in the late 1970s which saw the World Saxophone Quartet, ROVA and the 29th Street Saxophone Quartet, to list but three of the more celebrated, strutting their stuff, the format has undergone a hiatus more recently. However it remains firmly established as an instrumental configuration and perhaps the only surprise is that it has taken so long for a Chicago version to emerge. That deficit has been filled by saxophonist Dave Rempis, who has convened a foursome ...
Continue ReadingDave Rempis: Zen Master
mc.jpg)
by Mark Corroto
The best application of philosophy to improvised music is the Chinese concept of “wu-wei." The best translation of this is “no trying." Many listeners have the false impression that it takes a sophisticated ear or at least years of listening to “get" improvised music. Actually, the opposite is true. The key is wu-wei or the art of trying not to try. That's why children effortlessly absorb and assimilate free jazz; they simply have no blocks to the spontaneity of the ...
Continue Reading
