Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Dave Rempis / Brandon Lopez / Ryan Packard: The Early Bird Gets

3

Dave Rempis / Brandon Lopez / Ryan Packard: The Early Bird Gets

By

Sign in to view read count
Dave Rempis / Brandon Lopez / Ryan Packard: The Early Bird Gets
The trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Brandon Lopez, and drummer Ryan Packard have released their debut recording The Early Bird Gets without devising a name for the trio. Packard, like his fellow Chicagoan Tim Daisy, is a percussionist, composer, and sound artist. He is a member of Rempis' Chicago-based Gunwale, along with Albert Wildeman. With the addition of Lopez, one of the brightest stars in New York's free jazz today (John Dikeman, Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Gerald Cleaver), the saxophonist recruits yet another distinguished bassist into his ensembles.

With all due respect, let's call this trio The Pyromaniacs, inasmuch as the three musicians have an obsessive desire to set fire to this music. The conflagration starts with the very first track "Crypto Vo Lans," with Lopez standing guard with an insistent pulse that ignites Rempis' saxophone before Packard lights up the music with his solo. The energy released is impressive, even with the piece clocking in under six minutes. The same can be said of the final track, "Ganisus." The trio moves through the music like a wildfire. Speed is their decree, and it is carried out mercilessly, until, that is, their free jazz turns on a dime. Packard's swift cymbal work and Lopez' pursuit switch on Rempis' machine gun; part Peter Brötzmann with (can you believe this?) flavors of Paul Desmond. An unforeseen shift in tempo ends the piece, and is oh-so brilliant. Elsewhere, their blaze is a bit more of a controlled burn, with "Neo Aves" and "Archae Opteryx," featuring Packard's electronics. This meditative approach forgoes the energy music for sonic possibilities.

If you were wondering, the tracks are the names of prehistoric birds, the early descendants of the dinosaurs, and not a reference to the "Bird" (Charlie Parker) you might have been thinking of. But, then again, on "Confucius Ornis," with Rempis hoisting a brawny baritone saxophone, some bebop essence is distilled. Is this music in the jazz tradition? Yes, in the same orbit of Buddy Bolden, who lit the fire that burned through Armstrong, Young, Parker, and Ayler.

Track Listing

Crypto Vo Lans; Raho Navis; Archae Opteryx; Confucius Ornis; Yah Ornis; Neo Aves; Gansus.

Personnel

Dave Rempis
saxophone

Dave Rempis: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone; Brandon Lopez: bass; Ryan Packard: drums, electronics.

Album information

Title: The Early Bird Gets | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Aerophonic Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.