Saxophonist Dave Rempis is one of Chicago’s fieriest, most intense improvisers, whether he’s forging connections with new collaborators or strengthening his intuitive bonds with old ones. With his seemingly boundless energy, he’s one of the loudest horn men I’ve ever heard, but he’s also capable of great sensitivity, not only playing with exquisite delicacy but also listening carefully and responding sensitively to his cohorts. Since February he’s spent much of 2017 on the road, traveling the midwest, west coast, and deep south to hone his solo practice with a project he calls Lattice—he plans to release a solo album culled from tour recordings this fall on his own Aerophonic label.
Rempis has a long-standing interest in music from Africa. Though he moved to Chicago in 1993 to study classical saxophone at Northwestern University, he quickly switched his focus to anthropology and ethnomusicology, which led him to study in Ghana. The music that has evolved in South Africa is arguably even more robust and original: cycling patterns, ebullient melodies, and go-for-broke soloing combine in some of the most joyful songs I’ve ever heard. Song for Biko is a classic, blending the imperatives of kwela music with the loose melodic generosity of Ornette Coleman’s famous quartet with Cherry.
