House and the Home is the long overdue reunion of the collaborative trio Wheelhouse, whose work had a significant impact on both the Chicago scene and the artistic identities of its members back in the aughts and early teens. Despite the band’s frequent performances from 2005, when bassist Nate McBride transplanted himself from Boston to Chicago, to 2013 when he returned there, the band only recorded one record. Boss Of The Plains came out to great critical acclaim as one of the two inaugural releases on the fledgling Aerophonic Records back in June of 2013.

With only that release, it was difficult to gage the depth of the band’s artistic progress. During those years they shifted from performing one another’s mostly jazz-based compositions to becoming a free-improvising chamber trio focused on texture, timbre, and pastoral sonic landscapes. And they did so in a way characteristic of that era of Chicago music – regular marathon rehearsals in Adasiewicz’s attic or McBride’s living room; workshopping material and ideas, cooking together, and spending time with each other’s families. There’s no substitute for building a deep group identity except by doing it patiently over time.

Since 2013, intervening musical, life, and global issues kept the trio apart. McBride’s return to Boston, and his full-time work as a skilled carpenter, contractor, business manager, and family man demanded his focus. Meanwhile Adasiewicz soared to international acclaim as one of the leading voices on his instrument, working with his own groups, as well as those of Peter Brötzmann, Hamid Drake, Nicole Mitchell, Rob Mazurek, and many other noteworthy colleagues. But after several years of a high-flying career, he walked away from performing to pursue other life goals including a separate career as a contractor, and a focus on his family life. These life transitions were followed closely by a global pandemic.

But despite the challenges, the relationships held on. Rempis and McBride continued to connect for gigs in Boston where Rempis returned frequently to visit family in the area. And during Adasiewicz’s hiatus, Rempis was one of the few people who could coax him out for an occasional gig. As he began to return to more regular performances in 2022, the two began working together in a few different Chicago-based contexts including their stellar quartet with Joshua Abrams and Tyler Damon.

Finally in early 2024, Rempis floated the idea of a trio reunion, which came together that June. On a short run of concerts in Chicago, Madison, and Milwaukee, they reignited the chemistry that had made them such a distinct unit to begin with. The life lived in between only added more depth to the stock. In that sense, House and Home is a return to a deeply shared artistic communion. In a time when so many of us are circling our proverbial horses against what an uncertain future holds, rediscovering such a profound communal understanding feels more crucial than ever.