Rob Mazurek

Rob Mazurek (1966), after his beginnings in the vein of hard bop documented on the mediocre Man Facing East (august 1994), Badlands (july 1995) and Green & Blue (july 1995), led the Chicago Underground Orchestra that is documented on the tentative Playground (january 1997), featuring for this occasion guitarist Jeff Parker, percussionist Chad Taylor, bassist Chris Lopes, and trombonist Sara Smith.

Mazurek formed the Chicago Underground Duo with percussionist Chad Taylor and recorded 12 Degrees Of Freedom (july 1997) and the more ambitious Synesthesia (december 1999), with the 12-minute Blue Sparks Form Her, and the Scent of Lightning. The Chicago Underground Trio added bassist and vibraphonist Noel Kupersmith for Possible Cube (may 1998), another impressive sound abstraction containing the 14-minute Into Another You, Flamethrower (march 2000) and Slon (april 2003). The trio also incorporated guitarist Jeff Parker to become the Chicago Underground Quartet (december 2000 - Thrill Jockey, 2001).

During this period, thanks to the friendship with Parker, Mazurek also played with post-rock bands Tortoise, and Him, and especially the sextet Isotope 217, which was a collaboration with bassist Matt Lux.

His solo albums were more experimental: Amorphic Winged (2001), Silver Spines (march 2002), Thought Farming (2003), Music For A Shattered Light Box And 7 Posters (2004), the all-electronic Sweet And Vicious Like Frankenstein (2004), and Abstractions On Robert D'Arbrissel (2008).

Pared down to a duo again, Mazurek and Taylor continued their collaboration on Axis And Alignment (september 2001), with Two Concepts for the Storage of Light, In Praise Of Shadows (august 2005 - Thrill Jockey, 2006), a timbral caulderon on which the duo plays an arsenal of instruments, and Boca Negra (may 2009 - Thrill Jockey, 2010).

The 14-piece Exploding Star Orchestra was Mazurek's most ambitious project, featuring a horn section with trombonist Jeb Bishop, keyboardist Jim Baker, and a rhythm section with vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz and percussionist Mike Reed, besides old Tortoise co-conspirators Jeff Parker, John McEntire and John Herndon. Their lengthy suites are documented on We Are All From Somewhere Else (Thrill Jockey, 2007), containing two multi-part suites, String Ray and the Beginningof Time and Cosmic Tomes for Sleep Walking Lovers, Bill Dixon with Exploding Star Orchestra (september 2007) and Stars Have Shapes (june 2010), containing Ascension Ghost Impression No 2 and Three Blocks of Light.

Sao Paulo Underground was a collaboration between Rob Mazurek and brazilian percussionist Mauricio Takara (also on electronics) that yielded Sauna (november 2005), The Principle Of Intrusive Relationships (Aesthetics, 2008), that added Brazilian keyboardist Guilherme Granado and Brazilian drummer Richard Ribeiro, and Tres Cabecas Loucuras (Cuneiform, 2011). The latter includes much bombast and gloomy digital soundscapes, but truly shines when but the lively Carambola the ethereal singsong Colibri emerge from the multi-textured chaos.

A new Chicago Underground Trio with new bassist Jason Ajemian debuted on Chronicle (july 2006), containing the 28-minute Power.

The Rob Mazurek Quintet, featuring drummer John Herndon, bassists Matthew Lux and Josh Abrams, and vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, debuted on the more conventional (by his standards) Sound Is (Delmark, 2009).

Chicago Odense Ensemble (february 2008) was a project with Jeff Parker (guitar), Tortoise's Dan Bitney and Brian Keigher (both on percussion), Matthew Lux (bass) and Danish musicians Jonas Munk (guitar, electronics) and Jakob Skot (drums, percussion).

Tigersmilk (october 2001) is the trio of Mazurek, Dylan van der Schyff and Jason Roebke. Tigersmilk continued with From The Bottle (november 2003) and Android Love Cry (october 2006).

Active Ingredients consists of Mazurek, Steve Swell (trombone), Jemeel Moondoc (alto sax), David Boykin (tenor sax), Tom Abbs (bass and percussion), Chad Taylor (drums) and Avreeayl Ra (percussion) on Titration (july 2002).

Mandarin Movie (2005) featured Steve Swell (trombone), Alan Licht (guitar), Matthew Lux (bass guitar), Jason Ajemian (bass) and Frank Rosaly (drums).

Starlicker, featuring Mazurek, John Herndon (drums) and Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone), started with Double Demon (march 2011).

Chicago Underground Duo's Age Of Energy (june 2011 - Northern Spy, 2012), mostly recorded live, wed digital instruments with traditional ethnic instruments.

Rob Mazurek's Pulsar Quartet's Stellar Pulsations (Delmark, 2012) featured Angelica Sanchez on piano, Matthew Lux on bass and John Herndon on drums, basically a subset of the Exploding Star Orchestra.

The Rob Mazurek Septet, featuring John Herndon (drums), Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone), Nicole Mitchell (flute), Guilherme Granado (keyboards and electronics), Carlos Issa (guitar and electronics), Mauricio Takara (percussion and cavaquinhoe) and Thomas Rohrer (C melody saxophone and rabeca), debuted with Skull Sessions (november 2011).

The Space Between (Delmark, 2013) documents a multimedia project between Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Acoustic Ensemble and video artist and choreographer Marianne M Kim premiered in february 2013.

Rob Mazurek's Sao Paulo Underground (Mazurek on cornet, harmonium and electronics, Granado on keyboards and Takara on percussion and electronics) returned with their fourth album, Beija Flors Velho E Sujo (september 2012 - Cuneiform, 2013).

The live electronic Matter Anti-Matter (2009) was credited to the Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra with Roscoe Mitchell (alto and soprano saxes), Nicole Mitchell (flutes and voice), Matana Roberts (alto sax), Matt Bauder (tenor sax), Steve Swell (trombone), Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone and tubular bells), Kevin Dumm (electronics), Matthew Lux (bass guitar), Mauricio Takara (cavaquino and percussions), Guilherme Granado (samplers and marimba), the drums trio of John Herndon, Mike Reed and Chad Taylor, and vocalist Damom Locks.

The Chicago Underground Duo returned with Locus (Northern Spy, 2014) that experimented with electronic sounds.

A quartet comprising Jason Ajemian (bass, electronics), Tony Malaby (tenor sax), Rob Mazurek (cornet, electronics) and Chad Taylor (drums) recorded A Way A Land Of Life (december 2006).

Dedicated to his late mother, Mother Ode (july 2013) was recorded live and it includes the closing 15-minute You Were Born With Sun In Your Eyes.

Rob Mazurek joined forces with tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders for Chicago/Sao Paulo Underground's Spiral Mercury (august 2013) and Primative Jupiter (august 2013), featuring Chad Taylor (drums, mbira), Matthew Lux (bass), Mauricio Takara (cavaquinho, percussion & electronics) and Guilherme Granado (synths, samplers, percussion, voice).

Rob Mazurek's Sao Paulo Underground, expanded to a sextet, returned with the four extended electroacoustic pieces of Return The Tides (may 2013), featuring Mauricio Takara (drums, cavaquinho and voice), Guilherme Granado (keyboards, synths, sampler and voice), Thomas Rohrer (rabeca, electronics, soprano sax and voice), Rogerio Martins (percussion and voice) and Rodrigo Brandao (voice). The album is de facto a requiem for Mazurek's mother, who died in 2013.

Mazurek fronted a trio with Matt Lux (electric bass) and Mikel Patrick Avery (organ) on Alternate Moon Cycles (december 2012) that contains the 16-minute Waxing Crescent #1 and the 15-minute Waxing Crescent #2.

The Exploding Star Orchestra (with Nicole Mitchell on flutes and vocals, Angelica Sanchez on piano, Jeff Parker on guitar, Matthew Bauder on reeds, Matthew Lux on bass guitar, Guillerme Granado on electronics, Mauricio Takara on cavaquinho and Damon Locks on vocals) recorded the live double-disc Galactic Parables: Volume 1 (august 2013) containing the 20-minute Free Agents Of Sound and the 22-minute Make Way To The City.

The cassette Vortice O The Faun (Astral Spirits, 2015) documents an electronic composition.

Some Jellyfish Live For Ever (may 2013) documents another collaboration with Jeff Parker.

Alien Flower Sutra (2016) documents a sextet with Emmett Kelly (voice, guitar), Thomas Rohrer (rabeca), Guilherme Granado (synth, sampler, electronics), Carlos Issa (guitar, electronics) and Brittany Mazurek (voice) performing the 22-minute electronic suite Overture Towards the Beginning of the End of Time (composed in 2013).

Sao Paulo Underground's Cantos Invisiveis (Cuneiform, 2016) includes the 14-minute Estrada Para o Oeste and the 16-minute Falling Down From the Sky Like Some Damned Ghost.

The Chicago London Underground augmented the Chicago Underground Duo (Chad Taylor on drums, mbira and electronics) with British improvisors Alexander Hawkins (piano) and John Edwards (bass) for A Night Walking Through Mirrors (april 2016) containing A Night Spent Walking Through Mirrors (24:17), Something Must Happen (15:22), Boss Redux (21:31) and Mysteries of Emanating Light (18:43).

Chants And Corners (june 2016) featured Mazurek on modular synth, sampler, cornet & piano, accompanied by Mauricio Takara (drums), Guilherme Granado (keyboards, synth, sampler & electronics), Thomas Rohrer (rabeca, flutes, soprano sax & electronics) and Philip Somervell (piano and prepared piano).

Blind Curves And Box Canyons (january 2016) was a collaboration with Thollem McDonas (modified electric piano & analog effects).

Astral Cube (El Paraiso, 2017) documents a new project, Black Cube Marriage.

Four Views Of A Three Sided Garden/Shore To Shore (may 2014), containing two lenghty tracks were (Fourt View and Second Side), features Mwata Bowden on clarinet, baritone sax & didgeridoo, Julian Desprez on electric guitar, Matt Lux on electric bass and Mathieu Sourisseasu on acoustic bass, plus guest Douglas Ewart on English horn & bamboo piccolo.

The solo album Rome (november 2014), performed on cornet, piano, prepared piano and electronics, contains the 17:30-minute Sweet Life In Disrepair.

Chimeric Stoned Horn (Astral Spirits, 2017) is a solo album performed on piccolo trumpet, modular synths, samplers, voice, bells, and billed as a follow-up to Vortice Of The Faun.

Chimeric Stoned Horn (june 2017) was a solo album for electronics, voice, bells, synthesizer, sampler and piccolo trumpet.

The Third Coast Ensemble debuted with the live album Wrecks (october 2015) played by a 15-member unit: Christophe Rocher (clarinets), Steve Berry (trombone), Christofer Bjurstrom (piano), Frederic B. Briet (double bass), Philippe Champion (trumpet), Lou Mallozzi and Vincent Raude (electronics), Nicole Mitchell (flutes), Jeff Parker (guitar), Irvin Pierce (tenor sax), Nicolas Pointard and Avreeayl Ra (drums), Nicolas Peoc’h (alto and soprano saxes), Tomeka Reid (cello) and Mazz Swift (violin).

Mazurek played on Porta Palace Collective's third album Stone (october 2016).

Star Splitter (march 2018) documents a collaboration between Rob Mazurek (piccolo trumpet, electronics, objects & voice) and Gabriele Mitelli (cornet, soprano sax, alto flugelhorn, electronics, objects).

Desert Encrypts Vol 1 (august 2018) documents a live performance with Mazurek on piccolo trumpet and electronics, Kris Davis (piano), Chad Taylor (drums), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (bass) and Lynn Xu (voice).

Psychotropic Electric Eel Dreams IV (march 2017) contains two lengthy solo improvisations for synthesizer and samples, based on sounds generated by electric eels.

Love Waves Ecstatic Charge (recorded between 2017 and 2018) collects music for modular synth and computer, notably the 15-minute Ecstatic.

The Underflow (may 2019) was the trio of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, trumpet player Rob Mazurek and guitarist David Grubbs (Squirrel Bait, Bitch Magnet, Bastro, Gastr Del Sol).

The Chicago Underground Quartet returned after almost 20 years with Good Days (july 2019): Josh Johnson on synth bass, organ and piano, Jeff Parker on electric guitar and Chad Taylor as usual on drums.

The Exploding Star Orchestra's Dimensional Stardust (recorded between august 2019 and march 2020), featured Damon Locks and Macie Stewart (vocals), Nicole Mitchell (flute), Tomeka Reid (cello), Joel Ross (vibraphone), Jeff Parker (guitar), Jaimie Branch (trumpet), Angelica Sanchez (piano), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (bass), and the percussion trio of Chad Taylor, Mikel Patrick Avery and John Herndon.

The Underflow, the trio of Mats Gustafsson, Rob Mazurek and guitarist David Grubbs, is documented on Live at the Underflow Record Store and Art Gallery (may 2019) and the subsequent live Instant Opaque Evening (january 2020).

All Distances Inform (august 2018) is a solo of piccolo trumpet.

Father’s Wing (august 2019) documents a quartet with Kris Davis (piano), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (double bass) and Chad Taylor (drums).

All Distances Inform (august 2018) is a solo piccolo trumpet album.

Mazurek on piccolo trumpet, electronics and bells led a quartet with Kris Davis (piano), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (double bass) and Chad Taylor (drums) on Father's Wing (august 2019).

The Exploding Star Orchestra's Lightning Dreamers (september 2021) featured Jeff Parker on guitar; Craig Taborn on electronic keyboards, Angelica Sanchez on piano and synthesizer, Damon Locks on samplers and more electronic keyboards (and on vocals), Gerald Cleaver on drums, Mauricio Takara on percussion and Nicole Mitchell on flute and vocals.

He recorded the two lengthy pieces of Spectral Fiction (march 2023), namely the 38-minute Equations of Love in Prismatic Waves of Color and the 14-minute Driftless, with Damon Locks (voice, electronics, text), Tomeka Reid (cello, electronics), Angelica Sanchez (Wurlitzer electric piano), Ingebrigt Haker Flaten (double bass) and Chad Taylor (drums).

Mazurek played trumpet, piccolo trumpet, piano, prepared piano, sampler, magic yellow bucket, bells, shakers, flutes, voice, and various percussion on his solo album Milan (september 2023).