feature photo: Julia Dratel
Drummer Tyler Damon and guitarist Tashi Dorji have functioned as a duo, a highly improvisational unit that incorporates the thrashing quality of rock with the surprise of jazz. Since saxophonist Dave Rempis has worked with each of them, it was only a matter of time before the power duo became a power trio, coined Kuzu. And their first product is this wonderfully wack album called Hiljaisuus.
‘Hiljaisuus’ is the Finnish word for ‘silence,’ which contains some irony as there is a lot more of the polar opposite of silence on this album than not. Totally improvised performances like these are often called “spontaneous compositions” but in the case of Kuzu, they’re often spontaneous compositions filled with spontaneous combustions.
“Fontanelles 1 & 2” is a half hour sojourn through purely instinctive musical expression. After a tentative, foreboding start, it densifies until it sounds like the breakdown section of “Helter Skelter,” only with a real saxophone player…and that’s merely a stop on its way toward total freedom. Even when they are playing with abandon, Dave Rempis and Dorji find communion in the chaos as does Damon, who emerges from the wreckage to make a few remarks on his toms. The thinning out of the sound leads to another thickening with Dorji and Rempis leading the way to another free-for-all, but this time, way more barbed in their attack. And we’re only halfway through, folks.
The next fusillade is distinguished by Damon’s choice of chiming percussion, which linger long after that burst of energy is exhausted. Damon ends up using the remains to build a whole new groove that the other two quickly pick up, getting louder and becoming a co-leader with Rempis. By the time Dorji is fully committed to the fray, an exotic combination of timbres is formed, leading up to the volcanic climax at the end.
The three launch “Gash” making not so much notes but a varied assortment of odd noises: Dave Rempis blowing furiously into a baritone sax and Dorji making an Arto Lindsay commotion. But as Ramon draws a bead on another alien rhythm, the other two undertake another journey that you already know will end in a sonic riot. After catching another breather, Rempis breaks out a bluesy melody and the trio blend rhythm and harmony and like the prior track, builds up to its apex.
Hiljaisuus will drop on February 26, 2019, from Aerophonic Records.
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