Rempis/Dorji Duo

North Carolina-based guitarist Tashi Dorji and Chicago-based saxophonist Dave Rempis first came together as a duo on the extensive solo tour that Rempis undertook across the US in 2017.  Performing together in Dorji’s hometown of Asheville, the two spurred one another on with back-to-back solo sets that ratcheted up the fire, before coming together in a shared union of volcanic proportions.  That initial meeting quickly led to the formation of the trio Kuzu with drummer Tyler Damon, which has toured extensively, and released five outstanding records since 2018.  Over the past couple of years, the two have also decided to re-visit the more stripped back duo context as a way to re-discover the underlying tendons of what’s become a profound musical relationship.

Both of these musicians have the ability come out of the gate spewing lava at anything in their path.  But they also know how to temper that energy into patiently constructed arcs, where meditative inner focus within the maelstrom renders the magnificence of their long form constructions even more powerful.  At times, spacious gestures carve up the canvas with the austerity of a calligrapher, while at others those sparse gestures build into an unstoppable tsunami of energy. Those waves are never impulsive or impetuous though, they ebb and flow logically and patiently out of simple and clearly defined sources. Rempis’ penchant for pentatonic melodies and rough and tumble timbres combines seamlessly with Dorji’s thick, raw sound and singular approach to intonation to produce a music that’s exquisitely detailed at any one point in time, yet can also carry the narrative arc of their longer-form explorations without ever losing its coordinates.

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