Dave Rempis has produced a lot of music recently, averaging four or five albums per year. Therefore, it’s not easy to maintain the excitement for the music and to surprise his listeners. Living in Chicago, Rempis naturally benefits from first-class fellow musicians and a series of well-rehearsed bands (think of Ballister, Kuzu, and the Rempis Percussion Quartet). With House and Home he has revived another long-standing project - namely Wheelhouse, his trio with Nate McBride (bass) and Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone). Their album Boss Of The Plains, released in 2013 as one of the first two releases from the then-fledgling Aerophonic label, is now considered a modern classic of the Chicago free jazz scene.
But while the aforementioned projects toured regularly and also recorded albums constantly, Wheelhouse only made this one recording. There have been many reasons for this: On the one hand, Nate McBride returned from Chicago to Boston to work as a carpenter, contractor, and business manager (there is hardly any money in free jazz, as we all know). He also wanted to spend more time with his family. Adasiewicz, on the other hand, achieved international recognition beyond Chicago (excellent vibraphonists are rare), especially in Peter Brötzmann’s quartet with John Edwards (bass) and Steve Noble (drums). Yet, he also withdrew from the music business a little to pursue similar life goals as Nate McBride.
However, the trio’s connection never completely broke off. Rempis and McBride remained in contact and met for performances in Boston, when the saxophonist was in the area. And during Adasiewicz’s hiatus, Rempis was one of the few people who could persuade him to play live occasionally. When the vibraphonist returned to regular performances in 2022, the two began collaborating in various contexts in Chicago, including their outstanding quartet with Joshua Abrams and Tyler Damon, which culminated in Propulsion (Aerophonic, 2024).
In early 2024, Dave Rempis finally had the idea of a reunion. During a short concert series in Chicago, Madison, and Milwaukee, they played together as if there had never been a break. It seemed as if there were still the regular long rehearsals in Adasiewicz’s attic or McBride’s living room, as if they were still cooking together, discussing, spending time with each other’s families - only that in between there were lives that had been lived, which had left their marks and opened up new perspectives.
The opening seconds of the first track, “Stash”, are reminiscent of a radio play (with Adasiewicz’s dreamy vibraphone layers), and the trio’s chamber music-like approach has not faded over the years, distinguishing it from Rempis’s other bands. However, the saxophone lines and bowed bass lend the piece a delicate darkness. The underlying mood is maintained throughout the entire 60 minutes, even though Rempis sprinkles in nervous escapades here and there (“Rising Sun,” “Gingerbread“). McBride and Adasiewicz unerringly catch him again. A highlight is the last piece, “Arrest,” which brings together all the qualities of the band. The revelry in melodies, Rempis’s reference to Trane’s spirituality, Adasiewicz’s atmospheric chords, and the soothing down-to-earthness of McBride’s bass. Despite all this, a certain strangeness and roughness is never forgotten. It feels like a dream that reminds you how beautiful so-called free jazz can be. It’s just a shame that it ends so abruptly.
The fact that Wheelhouse are back is a story, which is actually too good to be true. Enjoy it. You don’t know how long it takes until they record again.
House and Home is available on vinyl, as a CD and as a download. You can listen to it and order it here:
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