feature photo: Julia Dratel
Kuzu was formed only in 2017 but the trio already has a stellar reputation in noise-jazz circles, so their torrid pace of production is a windfall. Even if their upcoming third offering got delayed a bit due to the pandemic.
The Glass Delusion — out March 5, 2021 from Astral Spirits Records — was recorded live and without any pre-thought like all Kuzu releases. It even draws from the same 2018 tour as some of those other records were culled from.
Kuzu recordings are highly instinctual and intuitional; the same can be said about any quality improv music unit. Where Kuzu makes its mark is that each of its members, Dave Rempis (saxes), Tashi Dorji (guitar) and Tyler Damon (drums), are highly individualistic musicians who play their instruments well outside the bounds of conformity. There are sounds you don’t often hear from each of these instruments and even less so as a group. Add to that their penchant for zigging when you expect them to zag, and it all adds up to adventurous and rewarding listening experience.
“It Simply Becomes Jammed, Part 1” begins with that sparse uneasiness that you know is set to go off at some point. But Kuzu doesn’t do it in one sudden explosion, they snowball the ferocity over several minutes and not necessarily ratcheting up in a straight line, sometimes plateauing out at a certain level for a while and taking it back up again. A full-on explosion is finally attained about eleven minutes in, and then it’s off to the races into the free-jazz funhouse. All the while, Damon stays on top of the ever-evolving pulse as Rempis (on tenor sax) and Dorji alternately lock in on trills, riffs, repeating patterns, and free-form blowing. Near the end, those two back out to let Damon bring the plane down to a rumbling landing on his own.
Or did he? “It Simply Becomes Jammed, Part 2” fades in where “Part 1” fades out. Rempis is back with a slashing baritone as Dorji plays his guitar to resemble a diddly-bow. Rempis attains unnaturally high tones on his sax that really makes you perk up your ears (maybe a few dog ears, too).
“Gnash” is spatial, and Dorji’s unique guitar sticks out even more here. There are shades of Japanese koto in his playing as well as low-end rubbery tones (that ‘diddley-bow’ sound), and when Rempis comes in with a really caustic tenor sax with these alien, sustained notes, it pairs up perfectly with what Dorji is resourcefully doing with his electrified sounds.
Pre-order/order a copy of The Glass Delusion from Bandcamp.
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