The debut of the Chicago quartet of Dave Rempis on alto, tenor & baritone saxophones, Jason Adasiewicz on vibes, Joshua Abrams on bass and Tyler Damon on drums, recorded after a year of performances to develop their propulsive and expansive force, as heard in this concert at Elastic Arts, which was also the last of the weekly Thursday night series Rempis curated for 21 years.
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Dave Rempis-alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bari saxophone
Jason Adasiewicz-vibes
Joshua Abrams-bass
Tyler Damon-drums
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UPC: 769947425191
Label: Aerophonic
Catalog ID: AR044
Squidco Product Code: 35223
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2024
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Elastic Arts, in Chicago, Illinois, on August 31st, 2023.by Dave Zuchowski.
Despite those abundant street creds, the debut album by this quartet isn't some sort of "all-star" outing. Rempis rarely organizes groups like that. Instead this band's music is true to an antiquated aesthetic that he's embraced for decades; one that's wholly alien to the quick-paced social media driven environment of our time. He gives his groups the space to develop patiently and organically through long-term relationships and regular work.
In this case, some of that work stretches back for decades. Rempis and Abrams first met as students at the same Chicago university in the mid-90's, and have maintained a working relationship since the early 2000's; particularly through their longstanding quartet with Jim Baker and Avreeayl Ra, and their chamber trio with Tomeka Reid. The connections between Adasiewicz and Rempis have a similar tenure, especially through the trio Wheelhouse with bassist Nate McBride that started back in 2005. That relationship runs deep enough that during Adasiewicz's long break from performing from roughly 2016-2022, Rempis was almost the only person who could coax him out in public for the occasional concert. (This album is also Adasiewicz's first group recording made since 2017!)
Rempis and Damon spent great swaths of time on tour together with the trio Kuzu between 2018 and 2021, further delving into their shared conception with a weekly outdoor duo concert in a Chicago park in their neighborhood during the warmer months of the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. It's tough to overstate the musical bonds they developed on those gigs, working through the ongoing emotional catastrophe of the pandemic with that one regular outlet. Both Abrams and Adasiewicz individually made guest appearances on those concerts as well, laying the groundwork for this quartet formation. As Ornette spelled out so clearly, "friends and neighbors, that's where it's at," something that the pandemic made even more clear.
As a quartet, these deep roots intertwined in almost total unity when the band first hit in summer 2022. But despite the urge, they didn't rush to get this record out. They dug deeper to achieve an even more singular vision over the next year before this album was recorded. Propulsion documents a band that's done the work.
This recording also catches them at a moment of major emotional impact. It documents the final concert of more than 900 that Rempis curated and produced as part of a weekly Thursday-night series of jazz and improvised music that stretched for more than twenty-one years from 2002-2023. There are far too many masters and greats who performed on that series to even begin to name, many of whom are no longer with us. And its impact on the Chicago scene during that time was significant to say the least. The last held notes on this record send an era of Chicago improvised music off into whispered tendrils of breath. Thankfully, in this case that ending brings a new beginning."-Aerophonic
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Dave Rempis "Dave Rempis was born in Wellesley, Massachusetts on March 24th, 1975. He began his musical studies at the age of 8, inspired by a family friend who played clarinet in local Greek bands, and by Zoot, of the Muppets Band, to pick up saxophone. During high school he performed in his town, district, and all-state bands and wind ensembles, as well as in a jazz combo at a local music school. In 1993, Rempis began a degree in classical saxophone at Northwestern University with Frederick Hemke. Finding this environment stifling, Rempis quickly ditched the music degree to pursue studies in anthropology and ethnomusicology. As part of these studies, he spent a year at the International Centre for African Music and Dance at the University of Ghana, Legon, studying African music and ethnomusicology. He also continued to perform with many different types of groups, ranging from highlife and reggae bands while in Ghana, to jazz, free jazz, funk, and contemporary music ensembles at home. He graduated from Northwestern in 1997. Upon graduating, Rempis decided to focus on performing, and in March of 1998 at the age of 22 was asked to replace veteran saxophonist Mars Williams in the well-known Chicago jazz outfit The Vandermark Five. This opportunity catapulted him to notoriety as he began to tour regularly throughout the US and Europe playing clubs, concert halls, and festivals on both continents. During his tenure with The Vandermark Five, Rempis also began to develop the many Chicago-based groups and international collaborations for which he's currently known, including The Rempis Percussion Quartet, The Engines, Ballister, Rempis/Abrams/Ra, Wheelhouse, The Rempis/Rosaly Duo, and The Rempis/Daisy Duo. Many of these groups have been documented on the Okkadisk, 482 Music, Not Two, Clean Feed, Solitaire, and Utech record labels. Past collaborations have included performances with Paul Lytton, Axel Dörner, Peter Brötzmann, Hamid Drake, Steve Swell, John Tchicai, Roscoe Mitchell, Fred Anderson, Kevin Drumm, Paal Nilssen-Love, Nels Cline, Tony Buck, and Joe McPhee. Rempis has been named regularly since 2006 in the annual Downbeat Critics's Poll as a "rising star" on alto saxophone, and as a "rising star" and "established talent" on baritone saxophone. Aside from performing, Rempis is also active as a presenter. Since 2002, he's curated a weekly Thursday-night concert series for the Elastic Arts Foundation. The series has featured over 500 concerts by some of the best improvisers from around the world, while maintaining a focus on up-and-coming local musicians. In late 2005, Rempis helped form the presenters' collective Umbrella Music, working with a small group of musicians and presenters in Chicago to provide better playing opportunities for creative and improvising musicians. As part of this group, he organized the annual Umbrella Music Festival from 2006-2014. Rempis is also one of the main organizers of the indie-rock Pitchfork Music Festival, a 60,000-person event which takes place in Chicago's Union Park every July." ^ Hide Bio for Dave Rempis • Show Bio for Jason Adasiewicz "Jason Adasiewicz was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1977, but raised in Crystal Lake, Illinois. He studied jazz drums at DePaul University for three years. He only eased into the vibraphone after leaving school, playing it in the indie-rock scene around Chicago with bands like Pinetop Seven and the singer-songwriter Edith Frost. In the early 2000s he began his collaboration with cornetist Josh Berman and drummer Mike Reed. Since then he was worked in the Chicago jazz and improvisation scene with multiple bands, including Rob Mazurek's Starlicker and Exploding Star Orchestra, Mike Reed's Loose Assembly, Josh Berman and His Gang, Nicole Mitchell's Ice Crystal, James Falzone's Klang and Ken Vandermark's Topology and Audio One. Adasiewicz formed his Chicago-based jazz quintet, Rolldown, in 2004, while living in Madison. In 2008 he founded the trio Sun Rooms, with Nate McBride and Mike Reed." ^ Hide Bio for Jason Adasiewicz • Show Bio for Joshua Abrams "Bassist, Composer Joshua Abrams has been in the thick of Chicago's vibrant music scene for fifteen years, playing & recording as leader & sideman in projects across the genres. he co-founded the "back porch minimalist" band town & country (thrill jockey/box media) & with Matana Roberts & Chad Taylor the trio sticks & stones (thrill jockety/482 music). He has released four records under his own name as well as two under the moniker "reminder" that navigate the realms of jazz & improvisation, electro-acoustic composition, beatmaking, minimalism and field recordings (eremite/delmark/eastern developments/lucky kitchen). He has appeared on over 50 recordings including records by Fred Anderson, Hamid Drake & Bindu, Bonny "prince" Billy, Nicole Mitchell Black Earth Ensemble and Black Earth Strings, Sam Prekop, Mike Reed's Loose Assembly, Ernest Dawkins Chicago 12, Savath & Savalis, Prefuse 73, Rhys Chatham, Rob Mazurek, Tortoise, the Roots, Edith Frost, Mia Doi Todd, Diverse, Joan of Arc, Lorren Mazzacane Connors, David Grubbs, David Boykin, Chris Conelly, & the Cairo Gang. He has performed with Roscoe Mitchell, Bill Dixon, Von Freeman, Fred Anderson trio, John Tchicai, the Exploding Star Orchestra, Henry Grimes, Axel Dorner, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Peter Evans, Damo Suzuki, Wilbert de Joode, Jandek, Walter Wierbos, Tony Conrad, Bobby Broom, Sean Bergin, Nate Wooley, Craig Taborn, David Stakenas, Fred Hopkins, Rhys Chatham, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Neil Michael Hagerty, Lin Halliday, Raymond Strid, Douglas Ewart, Toumani Diabate, the Chicago Underground Orchestra, Ron Dewar, Baby d, Kevin Drumm, Terry x, Frederick Lvunquist, Jim o'Rourke, Kurt Vonnegut, & Earle Brown. When in chicago he plays weekly with Jeff Parker and John Herndon." ^ Hide Bio for Joshua Abrams • Show Bio for Tyler Damon "Tyler Damon (b. 1987, Cincinnati, OH USA) is a Bloomington, Indiana based artist whose work aims to reveal obscured and untold narratives via drums/percussion & free improvisation. Tyler is currently involved in extended duo exhibitions with guitarist Tashi Dorji and bassist Darin Gray (as Duo Oninbo). He also regularly performs as a soloist. Often recognized for his contributions to the shapeshifting outfit Open Sex, other collaborators have included Mette Rasmussen (as a trio w/ Tashi Dorji), Mars Williams, Daniel Carter, Peter Maunu, Ken Vandermark, Little Howlin' Wolf, Kent Kessler, Albert Wildeman, Dave Rempis, Jason Adasiewicz, Ingebrigt Håker-Flaten, Robert Beatty, Ross Hammond, Ed Ricart, Jon Lorenz, Chris Trull (of Grand Ulena, Yowie), Brian Sandstrom (of NRG Ensemble), Muyassar Kurdi, Steve Marquette, Kevin Harris, Mark Hosler (of Negativland), Matthew Setzler, Keith Jost, Thom Nguyen (as Manas trio), Sarah Louise, Matt Shuff (as the Vulgar Mudflaps), Curt Oren, Matthew Schneider (Moon Bros), John Morton (of X_X), Craig Bell (of X_X, Rocket From The Tombs), Nathan Warrick (as Canned Hamms Blues Band), Circuit Des Yeux (Haley Fohr), Homme (Sima Cunningham & Macie Stewart), Lech, Sir Deja Doog's Love Coffin and Sitar Outreach Ministry, among others. Tyler has toured extensively in North America and is also regularly engaged with other artists, musicians and heads of various sorts across the American Midwest. From his home base of Bloomington he operates his own label, Yoke, and hosts the long-running free-form/experimental radio program Melody Unasked For on Bloomington, IN community radio station WFHB. From 2010-2015, he was a principal curator of "out" music in the Bloomington area, namely at The Artifex Guild and the now-defunct House at the Bottom of the Hill. He has been described by Darin Gray as "the up-and-coming young drummer in the Midwest and a voice that will be active for years to come." Tyler's recorded output has been primarily offered by the labels Magnetic South, Family Vineyard, Auris Apothecary, Astral Spirits & Yoke." ^ Hide Bio for Tyler Damon
10/2/2024
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10/2/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
10/2/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
10/2/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
1. Divergence 26:21
2. Eggression 13:47
3. Ephemera 20:08
Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
Collective Free Improvsation
Chicago Jazz & Improvisation
Quartet Recordings
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