Propulsion is the debut album of Chicagoan top improvisers assembled by sax player Dave Rempis (and Aerophonic Records founder) and featuring vibes player Jason Adasiewicz (known for his extensive work with Peter Brötzmann and his own trio Sun Rooms), double bass player Joshua Abrams (the leader of Natural Information Society) and drummer Tyler Damon. This collective quartet was recorded live at Elastic Arts in Chicago in August 2023.
This quartet relies on its musicians’ long-term collaborations. Rempis and Abrams met as students at the same Chicago university in the mid-90s, and have maintained a working relationship since the early 2000s. Adasiewicz and Rempis played together in the trio Wheelhouse (with bassist Nate McBride) in 2005. Rempis and Damon play together in the trio Kuzu (with guitarist Tashi Dorji) which has released five albums so far and as a duo. The musical bond between these musicians deepened during the concerts in a Chicago park in their neighborhood during the warmer months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and Rempis quotes Ornette Coleman’s immortal saying: «Friends and neighbors, that’s where it’s at».
The quartet began working in the summer of 2022 but took time to develop its singular vision. When it finally documented itself it already sounded like a working band with a strong, propulsive sound of its own. The album captured a moment of major emotional impact, the final performance of more than 900 performances that Rempis Rempis curated and produced as part of a weekly Thursday-night series of jazz and improvised music at the Elastic Arts for twenty-one years and since 2002.
You can sense the feeling of jubilation in this concert, the feeling that music can shake and move the world to a better place, and the wisdom of such great improvisers who listen carefully to each other and know how to create soulful and spiritual music together, almost effortlessly yet organically, with enough space for the individual voices. The three extended free improvised pieces highlight intricate and layered rhythmic patterns that encourage Rempis to soar higher and higher and explore outer territories, and, obviously, a brotherly camaraderie. The end of the performance series brought a new, blissful beginning.
Eyal Hareuveni
Dave Rempis (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone), Jason Adasiewicz (vibes), Joshua Abrams (double bass), Tyler Damon (drums)
