Earscratcher - Rempis/Harnik/Lonberg-Holm/Daisy: Otoliths

How do these four musicians—individually and collectively—manage to create music that is consistently compelling? Part of the answer lies in their versatility. Each is a formidable soloist, an accomplished bandleader and a sought-after collaborator in improvising ensembles. For Earscratcher, Austrian pianist Elisabeth Harnik joins forces with three longtime stalwarts of the Chicago scene: saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Tim Daisy. The Chicago contingent first forged their bond in the trailblazing Vandermark 5 and have since collaborated across dozens of projects. Harnik, meanwhile, has distinguished herself alongside Joëlle Léandre, Zlatko Kaućić, in the DEK Trio with Didi Kern and Ken Vandermark and in a trio with Rempis and Michael Zerang.

This quartet originally came together before the pandemic but had to wait until a European tour in 2022 to record their debut, Earscratcher (Aerophonic, 2023). Their follow-up, Otoliths—named for the calcium carbonate structures of the inner ear (a fine Jeopardy clue)—pushes further, expanding and deepening the connections first explored on that initial outing.

If the debut was marked by a fast, furious and sometimes combative energy, Otoliths strikes a different balance. The players leave more space, and while the sound remains intense, it carries the authority of seasoned confidence. The opening and longest track, "The Attic and the Atrium," captures this shift. Its conversational quality—an almost courtly "after you—no, after you"—unfolds as each musician takes the lead, then yields. Rempis' probing tenor lines, Harnik's explorations both inside the piano and on its keys, Lonberg-Holm's bowed, resonant textures and Daisy's percussive accents gradually coalesce into an energized surge before dissolving back into reflection. Before its 20-plus minutes conclude, the quartet reignites the fire once more, only to retreat again into spacious calm.

The remaining three pieces follow a similar arc, with the musicians moving fluidly between duos, trios and full quartet passages. Bursts of intensity flare, then resolve into moments of restraint, as if negotiation itself has become the music's subject. The result is a collective improvisation that values dialogue over domination, tension tempered by trust.

With Otoliths, Harnik, Rempis, Lonberg-Holm and Daisy prove that free improvisation is not merely about energy or abstraction but about listening—attentive, responsive and generous. What emerges is music that feels both deeply grounded and perpetually in motion, a testament to four master improvisers who understand that the most radical sound is sometimes the space between notes.