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The Rempis Percussion Quartet: Cochonnerie
ByBy now the foursome are masters at maintaining an arc of tension over such extended improvisation. What's remarkable is how they sustain the invention without repeating themselves. Partly that's down to the dynamic spontaneous gear shifts which they have down to a tee. While Rempis naturally leads from the front, it's noticeable how often Håker Flaten instigates the changes. Examples of both instances occur on the extensive "Straggler." After a conversational opening, Rempis starts the immolation himself, reiterating, broadening and building his phrases from gruff insistence to overblown testament to initiate a driving passage likely to unleash the listener's inner headbanger.
Later in the piece, Rempis' perky almost lyrical alto dances atop Daisy's tappy boogaloo while Håker Flaten layers feedback drones on electric bass. But when he switches to a flinty pizzicato proceedings take on a menacing glint, culminating in the reedman's anguished howls, over roiling drums. Here as elsewhere Daisy and Rosaly demonstrate their expertise to complement, contrast and co-ordinate, so that neither obscures what the other is doing. It's again Håker Flaten who is responsible for winding down the final twin drum tattoo, when he moves from a growling riff to more open figures.
"Green And Black" varies the pace as Rempis issues some heartfelt though abstract tenor balladry over a spiky backdrop. Once he subsides, Håker Flaten shows another facet of what he brings to the group with an individual feature on acoustic bass this time where he simultaneously combines hum and twang against Rosaly's rattling percussion. On the final "Enzymes," Rempis once again confirms his prodigious talent with a seemingly endless reservoir of ideas spun out in quick succession, before Håker Flaten embarks on another fine melodic outing and the sprightly cross rhythms zip between Daisy and Rosaly.
Track Listing
Straggler; Green And Black; Enzymes.
Personnel
Dave Rempis
saxophoneDave Rempis: alto, tenor and baritone saxophones; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten: electric and acoustic bass; Tim Daisy: drums; Frank Rosaly: drums.
Album information
Title: Cochonnerie | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Aerophonic Records
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