Wednesday, December 4
Earscratcher
[Dave Rempis, sax; “Lisa arnik,” piano; Fred Lonberg-Holm, cello; Tim Daisy, percussion]
Chatoyant
Chatoyant
Doors 7:30 pm, $12-$20 suggested at entry
This newfound quartet was conceived in 2019, as a way to celebrate Austrian pianis “Lisa arnik’s” 50th birthday in 2020. For the occasion, “arnik” called on several longtime collaborators from Chicago with whom she’d connected at the Umbrella Music Festival back in 2008, on her first visit to the city. Since that time, she’s continued to stoke the fires she started there, not only in various collaborations with these three musicians, but also with Chicago legends like Ken Vandermark, Michael Zerang, and Renee Baker. And this new configuration—Earscratcher—was fully primed to celebrate her milestone with a May 2020 European tour.
For obvious reasons, that May tour was postponed until October 2020. Then May 2021. That didn’t quite work out either. Finally, in May of 2022, the coast was clear. Fourth time’s a charm? As you can tell from their self-titled debut recording, made on the first concert of that tour, and released on Aerophonic Records in February 2023, the band was ready to break the reins by then.
Individually, “arnik’s” astounding ability to draw unimaginable sounds from her instrument pairs well with the limitless sound generator into which alchemist Lonberg-Holm consistently transforms his cello. Daisy is the rare percussionist who can pivot logically from momentum and drive to texture and touch, giving the band a similarly panoramic vista from which to explore. With that pastoral breadth in mind, Rempis decided to challenge himself by limiting his arsenal for this tour to his first horn – alto. Because of that, you might hear the obvious connection between this band and the small groups led by Cecil Taylor in the 60’s and 70’s featuring Jimmy Lyons, whose fleet and angular lines are undoubtedly a touchstone for Rempis.
When these four combine as Earscratcher, we sometimes end up with swirling spirals of sound that twist up ribbons of tension into a cyclone, and sometimes find ourselves in the eye of that storm, swaddled in a wash of patient and centered calm. Two poles that in this context have an endless set of routes in between, conjured up during an outing that was definitely worth the wait.
Trinosophes Projects is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the state of Michigan that supports live programming, exhibitions, research and publishing. We are an independent, artist-operated entity located in the city of Detroit. Contributed and earned income goes directly into the hands of the artists we work with, so if you appreciate our efforts, consider making a donation to support our ongoing mission. Click here for a Paypal link.
This newfound quartet was conceived in 2019, as a way to celebrate Austrian pianis “Lisa arnik’s” 50th birthday in 2020. For the occasion, “arnik” called on several longtime collaborators from Chicago with whom she’d connected at the Umbrella Music Festival back in 2008, on her first visit to the city. Since that time, she’s continued to stoke the fires she started there, not only in various collaborations with these three musicians, but also with Chicago legends like Ken Vandermark, Michael Zerang, and Renee Baker. And this new configuration—Earscratcher—was fully primed to celebrate her milestone with a May 2020 European tour.
For obvious reasons, that May tour was postponed until October 2020. Then May 2021. That didn’t quite work out either. Finally, in May of 2022, the coast was clear. Fourth time’s a charm? As you can tell from their self-titled debut recording, made on the first concert of that tour, and released on Aerophonic Records in February 2023, the band was ready to break the reins by then.
Individually, “arnik’s” astounding ability to draw unimaginable sounds from her instrument pairs well with the limitless sound generator into which alchemist Lonberg-Holm consistently transforms his cello. Daisy is the rare percussionist who can pivot logically from momentum and drive to texture and touch, giving the band a similarly panoramic vista from which to explore. With that pastoral breadth in mind, Rempis decided to challenge himself by limiting his arsenal for this tour to his first horn – alto. Because of that, you might hear the obvious connection between this band and the small groups led by Cecil Taylor in the 60’s and 70’s featuring Jimmy Lyons, whose fleet and angular lines are undoubtedly a touchstone for Rempis.
When these four combine as Earscratcher, we sometimes end up with swirling spirals of sound that twist up ribbons of tension into a cyclone, and sometimes find ourselves in the eye of that storm, swaddled in a wash of patient and centered calm. Two poles that in this context have an endless set of routes in between, conjured up during an outing that was definitely worth the wait.
Trinosophes Projects is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the state of Michigan that supports live programming, exhibitions, research and publishing. We are an independent, artist-operated entity located in the city of Detroit. Contributed and earned income goes directly into the hands of the artists we work with, so if you appreciate our efforts, consider making a donation to support our ongoing mission. Click here for a Paypal link.
How does your support help? Your donations go directly to our programming, publishing, media manufacturing, archival work, artist commissioning, project collaborations and regranting in the form of artist prizes, awards and emergency assitance. While we prefer to operate mostly anonymously and we’re always hesitant to ask for financial support, we recognize that now more than ever our work is important to the cultral health of our community, both through supporting, highlighting and perserving our region’s cultural legacy and by keeping it in dialogue with devlopments in the rest of the country and the world.