Sketch Master

Audiences perhaps best know Eugene musician and guitarist Gerry Rempel as resident composer with local ballet company, Ballet Fantastique. Now Rempel, along with his group Gerry Rempel Jazz Syndicate, is celebrating his third release: Sketches from the Underground, a collection of all-original jazz compositions.

Rempel tells EW the album, recorded in Eugene at Pro-Arts Studio, explores fusions between jazz, world music and even rock. “Drawing from the huge array of global music at our disposal,” Rempel explains, “Latin, Middle Eastern, Indian.” These intersections have interested Rempel since his time as a graduate student at the University of Oregon.

For example, Sketches track “Priestess” plays around with Middle Eastern scales over tom-tom playing that recalls jazz classics like “Sing, Sing, Sing” or “Night in Tunisia.” Rempel says blues and soul informs most of his work, but also metal, as can be heard in Rempel’s aggressive playing on the muscular, almost arena-ready album track “The Rabble.”

Along with a cast of quality local musicians, Bruce Cole and Brian West provide the drums and percussion, and Scott Mitchell’s self-assured alto sax work is a highlight.

Overall, Sketches draws inspiration from classic jazz and Herbie Hancock-style innovators, but also from the prog rock era, when bands like Yes and King Crimson brought jazz elements into rock’s rulebook. But jazz’s spirit of improvisation is what Rempel loves most. “What I love about jazz is the freedom. It’s never the same,” he explains. “To me that’s everything. It has its melody and harmonic structures, then usually in all the tunes there’s going to be room for improvisation. There’s that melodic freedom.”

Gerry Rempel Jazz Syndicate plays April 8 at The Jazz Station in downtown Eugene, and you can find the new CD at gerryrempel.com.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!