Articles

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

ALBUM REVIEW January 12, 2021

Dave Rempis: Stringers & Struts

Read "Stringers & Struts" reviewed by John Sharpe

Chicago-based reedman Dave Rempis has hit such a peak of consistency that the number of stars awarded to any particular outing is more down to personal preference than any variation in quality. He's in control of his own destiny as most of his output flows from his own Aerophonic imprint. And he's achieved another high point with Stringers And Struts, the result of a one-off gathering of Windy City improvisers in town for the 2019 Chicago Jazz Fest, which makes ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 17, 2020

Kuzu: Purple Dark Opal

By Karl Ackermann

Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis has recorded thirty albums as a leader and more than another thirty as a sideman. Best known for his own Rempis Percussion Quartet and the Vandermark Five, the free jazz legend teams up with guitarist Tashi Dorji and drummer Tyler Damon, under the name Kuzu. Purple Dark Opal is their third release, following Hiljaisuus (Astral Spirits, 2018) and Lift To Drag (Medium Sound, 2019) which was only released on cassette. Dorji was raised in ...

ALBUM REVIEW January 29, 2020

Dave Rempis / Joshua Abrams / Avreeayl Ra / Jim Baker: Apsis

By John Sharpe

After appearing on one half of Perihelion (Aerophonic, 2016), keyboardist Jim Baker has joined Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis' working trio with bassist Joshua Abrams and drummer Avreeayl Ra on a permanent basis. In one respect the band seems one of the most traditional of the reedman's projects. That's largely down to how the instruments in the main stick to their allotted roles and tonalities in two slabs (25 and 35 minutes plus) of unapologetic make-it-up-as-you-go rhythmically inflected ...

ALBUM REVIEW July 28, 2019

Kuzu: Hiljaisuus

By John Sharpe

Chicago-based saxophonist Dave Rempis' openness to collaboration yields new partnerships at an astounding rate. He played in separate duos with both guitarist Tashi Dorji and drummer Tyler Damon during his 2017 solo tour of the USA. The drummer and guitarist are already an established pairing, so perhaps it was inevitable that Rempis would reunite with both, the resultant threesome being given the name Kuzu. Raised in Bhutan, but based in North Carolina, Dorji has shown a determination to ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 16, 2019

Dave Rempis / Brandon Lopez / Ryan Packard: The Early Bird Gets

By Mark Corroto

The trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Brandon Lopez, and drummer Ryan Packard have released their debut recording The Early Bird Gets without devising a name for the trio. Packard, like his fellow Chicagoan Tim Daisy, is a percussionist, composer, and sound artist. He is a member of Rempis' Chicago-based Gunwale, along with Albert Wildeman. With the addition of Lopez, one of the brightest stars in New York's free jazz today (John Dikeman, Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Gerald Cleaver), the ...

ALBUM REVIEW December 29, 2018

Dave Rempis: Icoci

By John Sharpe

In avant jazz, as in other artistic endeavors, talent alone isn't enough. Success requires a large slice of luck too. Chicago-based reedman Dave Rempis knows that as well as anyone. As a consequence he works hard at making his own luck: he concentrates on running a string of regular outfits; assembles a network of supportive venues; makes connections between players across the States and abroad; and documents the resulting outcomes. Icoci represents the scorching debut of a ...

ALBUM REVIEW December 14, 2017

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 ...