Reviews

Almost every sleeper record becomes a well-regarded rarity someday - witness the high demand for albums that were doyens of ‘70s cutout bins. In similar fashion, it might be easy to overlook this excellent release by Chicago saxophonist Dave Rempis and the Boston triumvirate of trumpeter Forbes Graham, pianist Pandelis Karayorgis and drummer Luther Gray. The name “Construction Party” presumably refers to the reformist (anti-Ahmadinejad) Iranian political party and as Graham, Rempis and Gray are known for work in freer realms of improvisation, the disc’s penchant for composition means the name is oddly apt.

Instruments of Change consists of a solid 70 minutes of music spread across eight tunes, with each member of the quartet composing two pieces. It’s an interesting ensemble structure - trumpet, alto saxophone, piano and drums (no bass), with Karayorgis’ robust left-hand movements holding down the bottom end. The pianist’s “Two-ophony” offers detailed rent-party swing, Gray’s flitting brushwork an athletic counterpoint to Rempis’ acerbic loquaciousness. Karayorgis is aesthetically a student of such masters as Herbie Nichols, Hasaan Ibn Ali, Misha Mengelberg and the early work of Cecil Taylor. Graham - whose recordings are relatively small in number - is positively awesome on this disc, with a crumpled finesse that recalls Bill Dixon acolyte Marc Levin, able to convey a broad textural/emotional range with short bursts and incisive whines. His low barbs on Rempis’ “Hover” are striking for their unsettled simplicity, with a deep and stomach-projected oration.

On the trumpeter’s “Fibbin’”, loose traditionalism gives way to collective sparks as Karayorgis’ right hand teases and undoes before working into a stubborn and rangy behind-the-beat solo, quoting “Satin Doll” with drunken discomfort. The quartet is formally well balanced between improvisation and composition, able to stray from the tunes’ centers while also offering taut and sometimes frightening measurement. Yet there is a sizeable fire burning throughout and in a time of “office cubicle free jazz”, recordings like Instruments of Change are scarce and not to be missed.

Clifford Allen, The New York City Jazz Record, January 2013

Today, a quartet recording in the avant vein by four formidable exponents of the new jazz who, as it turns out, work very well together. They call the quartet Construction Party. The album is dubbedInstruments of Change (Not Two 852-2). It's Forbes Graham on trumpet, Dave Rempis, alto, Pandelis Karayorgis, piano, and Luther Gray, drums. Now that works out well. Graham has good melodic improv ideas that range over the whole horn. Dave Rempis, as followers or the music know, is his own man on alto. Pandelis Karayorgis is one of the important pianists out there now with a percussive attack and, important for this bass-less group, an ability to play inventive, innovative lines with both hands independently. So he sometimes has a kind of pianistic bass line going that complements the drumming. The latter is handled adeptly by Luther Gray, who has power and a very effective time-freetime sense.

There are eight numbers; each bandmember composes two. They are of the abstracted avant head sort and work well in setting up the blowing. There are moments where Rempis and Karayorgis solo together that got my attention, but everybody has a chance to intermingle collectively and individually in good ways.
It's top-notch new avant jazz. So of course I recommend it.

Gapplegate music review, September 24, 2012