Rempis Percussion Quartet, The – “Montreal Parade” – [482 Music]

For some of you, all I need to say is two drummers + jazz,
and you’ll be grabbing this here puppy. On the first track,
it’s like Tim Daisy and Frank Rosaly are playing chicken in
two high speed tanks. Heavy artillery, not a lot of cymbals
just plenty of muscle. You might not see them at first clearly
as Rempis comes out laying down a carpet of tenor fire. But
at 5:50, you hear the titans, and it does indeed take two not
to tango. Rempis has some great hurry/wait moments around 10
minutes in…and then the band locks in on slinky syncopated
groove for several minutes, Daisy and Rosaly skipping rocks
off the bass wake of Ingebrigt Haker Flaten. Instead of riding
that into the sunset, they opt for a smokey denoument. That’s
the short piece, next up 42+ minutes starting between the toe
tap and the head snap, don’t get too comfy, expect some fire.
Within two minutes, improv is heating up head towards the
10 min mark when you start to think maybe this band also has
two sax players. The frenzy halts on jagged bass at 12:40,
12 or so minutes of more austerity until Rempis gets his
baritone into the form of an angry horse. But drums wait till
35 minutes in to get galloping themselves. Rempis ends it
softly with the sweetest melody of the disc for a few bars
while the bass brrraps and the drums relapse. Plenty to work with.

-Thurston Hunger