Rempis and Rosaly at Thomas More

You are hereby officially invited to end the semester in a joyfully indeterminate mode as Chicago jazz luminaries Dave Rempis (alto and tenor saxophone) and Frank Rosaly (drums) visit Thomas More College on December 11th for a very special workshop on the aesthetics of free improvisation. Both musicians are very active in the Chicago "experimental jazz " and improvised music scene, and both are frequent collaborators with drummer Tim Daisy (Klang, Vox Arcana). Rempis plays with Daisy in Vandermark 5, one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles to emerge from Chicago in the past decade. 7:oo p.m in the Science Lecture Hall. See below for more on Rempis and Rosaly.

"During live performances, Rosaly is intensely animated, so much so that it seems initially distracting. He hovers over the drums in constant motion, his shoulders rolling and arms twitching in anticipation of his next strike. He puts his whole body into the drumming, and once he really kicks the songs into high gear, his curious postures no longer seem unusual but rather essential. Whether he’s pounding away intensely or simply laying out a delicate hi-hat pattern, his motions seem to translate the sounds into body language, and watching him feel the music in that way really conveys the physicality of what the band is doing." --- Michael Patrick Brady, Pop Matters

Rosaly’s drumming is easily recognizable, on record and live . It melts between the perfect complimentary player and the ultimate standout. His rhythms are unstoppable and perfectly timed. His solos are imaginative and expressive. --Adam Kivel, Consequence of Sound

DAVE REMPIS 

 

Over the last decade, Dave Rempis has emerged as one of the most active 

young players in the Chicago jazz and improvised music scene. Rempis 

graduated from Northwestern University in 1997 with a degree in anthropology, 

focusing in ethnomusicololgy, and a year spent at the University of Ghana, Legon 

in 1995-96.  Since 1998, his work with the Vandermark Five as the "other" 

saxophonist has established him as one of the up-and-coming voices of his 

generation, and has also provided him the opportunity to perform extensively in 

clubs, concert halls, and festivals throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe.  His 

own groups, including the Rempis Percussion Quartet, Triage, The Engines, The 

Rempis/Daisy Duo, and The Dave Rempis Quartet, have toured regularly 

throughout Europe and North America, and have been documented on the 

Okkadisk, 482 Music, Solitaire, Utech, and Not Two record labels. In addition to 

these groups, Rempis plays regularly with Ken Vandermark's Territory Band, The 

Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten Quintet, The Outskirts, and the Rempis/Bishop/ 

Kessler/Zerang Quartet. His frequent ad hoc collaborations have included 

performances with Paul Lytton, Axel Doerner, Peter Brotzmann, Hamid Drake, 

Kevin Drumm, Paul Nilsson-Love, Tony Buck, David Stackenas, and Joe Morris.  

As a founding member of the Chicago presenters' collective Umbrella Music, 

Rempis curates a weekly concert series at Elastic, as well as the annual Umbrella 

Music Festival, now in its fourth year. Rempis has also been named as a Talent 

Deserving Wider Recognition in both the alto and baritone saxophone categories 

in the annual Downbeat Magazine International Critics’ Poll. 

 

www.daverempis.com 

 

 

FRANK ROSALY 

 

Frank Rosaly is a percussionist and composer currently living in Chicago. Over 

the last 10 years he has become an integral part of the Chicago scene, 

navigating a fine line between the vibrant improvised music, indie-rock, 

experimental music, and jazz communities. He contributes much of his time to 

performing, composing, teaching, and organizing musical events, while 

managing a heavy touring schedule that takes him throughout North America 

and Europe.  

 

Frank is currently active in many different groups. Some of these include Rob 

Mazurek’s Mandarin Movie, The Rempis Percussion Quartet, The Ingebrigt Haker- 

Flaten Quintet, Jeff Parker/Nels Cline Quartet, Matana Robert's Chicago Project, 

Fred Lonberg-Holm’s Valentine Trio, Keefe Jackson’s Fast Citizens, The Jeb 

Bishop Trio, Jason Adasievicz’s Rolldown, Jorrit Dijkstra’s Flatlands Collective, 

The Chicago Lucern Exchange, and The Daniel Levin Trio. Rosaly also leads his 

own quintet, Viscous, featuring his original compositions. Other performances in 

the recent past include collaborations with Peter Brotzmann, Tony Malaby, 

Anthony Coleman, Paul Flaherty, Marshall Allen, Louis Moholo, Eric Boeren, Ken 

Vandermark, Michael Zerang, and Walter Weirbos, among many others. 

 

http://www.frankrosaly.blogspot.com/