Tim Daisy: Tea Music, The Disappointment of Parsley & Staying in the Game

Klang Tea Music Allos Documents 2009	The Dave Rempis Percussion Quartet The Disappointment of Parsley Not Two 2009	Fred Anderson Staying in the Game Engine 2009

Since his ascendancy into the Vandermark Five in 2003, Tim Daisy has become an increasingly in-demand drummer in the rich cross-fertilizing ground of Chicago jazz, and with good reason. Daisy has the ability—so important for a percussionist—to hear and provide what individual projects need. He is consistently solid, yet markedly versatile.

The most satisfying of the releases considered here is clarinetist James Falzone's Tea Music, the first recording by his quartet Klang. The conceptual framing here is the love for a cup of tea (several of the compositions also carry titular references) and the music is appropriately cerebral yet relaxing, much like the music of the influences (Eric Dolphy, Jimmy Giuffre) Falzone claims; the pairing of clarinet with JasonJason Adasiewicz' vibes was a large part of the Dolphy/Giuffre tea ceremony as well. The always-sensitive bassist Jason Roebke rounds out the quartet, which works exceedingly well together as a group. With 12 tracks and three of the four members contributing compositions, they maintain a nicely coherent feel throughout.

Daisy is one of two drummers in the Dave Rempis Percussion Quartet, whose The Disappointment of Parsley is a rolling 45 minutes of open-ended improvisation. The pairing of Daisy and Frank Rosaly gives heavy momentum to Rempis' powerful alto and tenor playing during this single set recorded live in Poland. The three tracks (including a Julius Hemphill interpolation) make for a fun ride, even if bassist Anton Hatwich gets a little lost in the mix at times. Rempis becomes a killjoy in his liners, complaining not only about jazz critics (fair enough) but about fans with the wrong expectations. The layout wisely makes them hard to read. Skip it and head for the music.

If playing in a Vandermark band marks an arrival in the echelons of Chicago jazz, recording with the great Fred Anderson gets you VIP status. And while Staying in the Game is Daisy's best moment to shine here, the flatness of the sound robs the glow. Daisy and bassist Harrison Bankhead make for a lyrical rhythm section, bringing out Anderson's ruminative side, but it sounds like a bootleg recording, puzzling since it's a studio session. The rough chipboard packaging also takes away from what should have been a happier affair. Staying in the Game feels like a demo for a record the trio should still make.

Tracks and Personnel

Tea Music

Tracks: G.F.O.P.; Fickle; Lament on Ash Wednesday; Oolong With Multiplicity; No Milk; Giants; #32 Busonius; Klang; Dwarfs; Last Love Song; China Black; Klang...reprise.

Personnel: James Falzone: clarinet; Jason Adasiewicz: vibraphone; Jason Roebke: bass; Tim Daisy: drums & percussion.

The Disappointment of Parsley

Tracks: The Disappointment of Parsley; Zoni; C / Sold at a Ten Percent Discount.

Personnel: Dave Rempis: alto and tenor saxophones; Anton Hatwich: bass; Frank Rosaly: percussion; Tim Daisy: percussion.

Staying in the Game

Tracks: Sunday Afternoon; The Elephant and the Bee; 60 Degrees in November; Wandeing; Springing Winter; Changes and Bodies and Tones.

Personnel: Fred Anderson: tenor saxophone; Harrison Bankhead: bass; Tim Daisy: drums.