Re.mus - Re.mus (2013) ***1/2

Re.mus (band)

Jamie Evans – tenor saxophone

Jacek Steinbrich – double bass
Jamie Davis – drums & percussions

Re.mus (2013)

By Maciej Nowotny

That jazz music was created by the uneducated and sometimes even illiterate people is well known fact. Only in recent decades this situation has changed and now majority of young jazz musicians are the graduates of music schools. Such a situation has its advantages, like very high level of performances, and the disadvantages, like certain similarity of styles, predictability and uniformity of their projects. That's why I feel that influx of musicians that did not undergo regular academic education is so important for jazz to survive. This project, called Re.mus, is a good example of such a process.

It's protagonist is Polish double bassist Jacek Steinbrich who with this record is kind of coming to my attention out-of-nowhere! His musical education is irregular and comprises classes in composition, double bass and jazz piano which he took mainly in Dublin. There in local Centre for Creative Practices he participated in weekly jazz sessions during which he got to know his partners in this project two Irishmen: tenor saxophonist Jamie Evans and drummer & percussionist Jamie Davis. As Steinrich they both are not professional musicians, Evans as Steinbrich is a teacher, while Evans works in IT industry. But who cares when in terms of pure emotionality, enthusiasm and energy this CD surpasses many recordings of so-called professional musicians.

All these guys must have indeed a huge natural talent that regardless technical limitations they can deliver music so engaging and fresh! Stylistically their language is built upon music of such great individualists as John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler but also, surprisingly, John Lurie with his "garage-sound" band Lounge Lizards or Medeski, Martin &Wood with their dedication towards rhythm&blues roots of modern jazz.  But first of all it is all open minded, saturated with love towards music, with spontaneity which makes their improvisation childlike fresh and engaging. That's why it moved me really so deep and I decided to write about this music in order to encourage these artists to continue their interest in music making as it would be great loss if such a story would end on this intriguing overture only...

Due to the patronage by Kaiser Soze Foundation the whole album may be downloaded for free here: download album.