In this week’s paper I wrote a preview for the Saturday performance by Wheelhouse at Constellation. The trio includes reedist Dave Rempis and, as I explained in my Soundboard item, the concert is in part a celebration of Boss of the Plains, the trio’s excellent debut album. It will soon be released by Aerophonic, the promising new imprint operated by Rempis to circumvent his frustration with farming out the job of getting his work to the public to other labels, as well as to take a more direct role in his commerce.
In the PR materials for the label, Rempis says, “Over the last decade, it’s become clear that in the world of jazz, artists now have the means to control every angle of their own presentation, whether it be through live performance or recordings. Simultaneously, the infrastructure that once existed in jazz through a network of booking agents, venues, and record labels is simply disappearing. This trend is unlikely to change. But I view Aerophonic as an opportunity to further take the reins on my own career, rather than as a dissolution of things past. This is simply the way forward for an improvising musician in 2013 . . .”