Bruce Gallanter

THE REMPIS PERCUSSION QUARTET - Rip Tear Crunch (482 Music 1046; US) Featuring Dave Rempis on alto, tenor & bari saxes, Anton Hatwich on bass and Tim Daisy & Frank Rosaly on percussion. One of the great things about the Vandermark 5 is their other saxist, Dave Rempis, who has consistently knocked me out live and on all dozen Vandermark discs. Although Mr. Rempis doesn't get the recognition of Mr. Vandermark, he has continually put out fine discs of his own: three with Triage, a duo with Tim Daisy, a quartet disc on 482 Music and this is his second disc with his Percussion Quartet. Both drummers work well together, creating great four-handed grooves. Each of the five pieces here has a different and often infectious rhythmic thing going on. "Shreds" has a great, slow-burning groove that had me dancing around my kitchen. "Flank" stretches out time with slow-moving drones of bari sax, bowed bass and floating percussion. The title track is nearly a half-hour long and has a great bluesy groove with both drummers weaving around one another as Dave plays a feisty tenor solo and Anton a swell walking and talking bass solo. The piece slows down to a slow, somber dreamy section a third of the way through and then builds back up to another fine sort of funky groove again. Bassist Anton Hatwich, with whom I was not familiar, sounds wonderful throughout, with his fat tone and spirited playing. He is the central force on "Dirty Work Can Be Clean Fun", as the rest of the quartet swirls freely around him. "The Rub" closes this great disc with a freer vibe, the tenor and bowed bass slowly burning together, soon the drummers emerge, all four simmering and building to a calm frenzy. Both drummers sound especially fine as they weave a strong tapestry together.

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