Imagine if the listener could choose bands or combinations of musicians like a fantasy football game. They would compile discographies and note when certain players crossed paths, or imagine new combinations of dissimilar styles. This is obviously not an original idea because Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis has been drafting varying combinations of talented players for more ...

Article: Album Review

Ballister: Znachki Stilyag

Read "Znachki Stilyag" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
October 3, 2020

Although the title, composed of two unrelated Russian words chosen because they sounded good, doesn't have a meaning, the contents not only sound good but carry rather more weight. The high intensity free jazz trio Ballister comprises reedman Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, three of the finest proponents on their instruments in ...

Article: Album Review

Rempis/Rosaly Duo: Codes/Myths

Read "Codes/Myths" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
May 23, 2020

The reprise of the Rempis/Rosaly Duo comes after many changes in the musicians' lives. Their first session Cyrillic (482 Music, 2009) was recorded when both musicians made Chicago their home. Dave Rempis, probably best known for his work in Vandermark 5 back in 2009, was putting together his own groups such as The Engines and The ...

Article: Album Review

Kuzu: Purple Dark Opal

Read "Purple Dark Opal" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
May 9, 2020

Hard as it is to believe, the wonderful Hiljaisuus (Aerophonic, 2019) documented the first encounter between Chicago reedman Dave Rempis, North Carolina-based Bhutanese guitarist Tashi Dorji and drummer Tyler Damon, under the banner Kuzu. On the basis of that triumph, the musicians put together a twenty-date US tour. For their follow up release, Purple Dark Opal, ...

Article: Album Review

From Wolves to Whales: Strandwal

Read "Strandwal" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala

by Giuseppe Segala
May 4, 2020

Il quartetto From Wolves to Whales, nome azzeccato per un significativo incontro di quattro personalità al vertice del jazz e dell'improvvisazione contemporanea, si era già proposto nel 2015 con il CD omonimo, dopo il rodaggio di tre concerti a Manhattan e a Brooklyn nel febbraio del 2014. Il sodalizio, imperniato sulla lunga frequentazione di Nate Wooley ...