Rempis/Harnik/Zerang

ABOUT

This trio’s sparse performance schedule since their first concert for Austrian National Radio in 2013 belies the telepathic interactions that these three unique improvisers display every time they’re onstage together.  Despite their sporadic concerts over the years, they’ve still managed to put out three fantastic records.  The most recent of which, Astragaloi, just came out in April 2022 on Aerophonic Records.  This follows the digital-only Wistfully which came out in 2016 on Aerophonic, and 2020’s Triple Tube issued on cd by Not Two.  While some of those records have flown under the radar, that doesn’t diminish the musical simpatico that these three have enjoyed for years. Ever since Harnik’s introduction to the Chicago scene at the 2008 Umbrella Music Festival when she was a featured visiting artist, she’s actively maintained the relationships she built there, including with Rempis and Zerang.  Aside from their work as a trio, all three have worked together in duo contexts since that first meeting.

 On their most recent record Astragaloi, it may be Harnik’s wide-ranging abilities that tie things together in such an astounding way.  At one moment her preparations inside the piano turn the instrument into a quietly percussive zither, while at another her full-throated insistence at the keyboard draws out the resonance of a full orchestra. Skittering, plucking, pounding, caressing.  And while she has the sheer energy to keep up with Rempis’ firebreathing tendencies, she also knows how to rein him in to quieter, more abstract spaces that explore breathy nuance and pinpoint texture.  Zerang meanwhile displays the singular approach that he’s developed on the drum kit, rooted in his Middle Eastern upbringing and the significant abilities as a hand percussionist that he developed early on.  That approach frees him as an improviser from so many of the tropes common to “drummers,” as he pushes the instrument beyond groove to focus on color, density, articulation, dynamics, and drive, in a way that creates an uncommon unity within the group.  There are no specialized duties here, all three of these improvisers roll up their sleeves to keep the narrative momentum moving forward using every tool at their disposal.

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PRESS

…the approach here is entrancing. Harnik's ability to generate energy is admirable. Whether she is working the keyboard or the insides of the piano, which she does often, the music is hers to direct. She can wield a percussive attack to match Zerang's approach or fire off rapid notes à la Rempis' saxophone, consequently freeing both Zerang and Rempis to illuminate the stage. Zerang has always been a colourist, here he flavors the ensemble with splashes and deep resonant beats. Everything you want to know about the origin, development and evolved behaviors of free jazz is embodied in these forty-two minutes. -Mark Corroto, AllAboutJazz