The most cosmically expansive and exciting work yet from composer/
coronet player Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – dedicated to Amiri Baraka, and infused with the righteous, poetic spirit
of Baraka's work with Sun Ra! The Exploding Star players include some Chicago
underground heroes and heroines
of longstanding brilliance, including flautist Nicole Mitchell, guitarist Jeff Parker, drummers John Herndon and Chad Taylor, bassist Matthew Lux, and Damon Locks on electronics and with some subtly righteous spoken word – along with Mazurek's Sao Paolo
Underground cohorts Mauricio Takara and Guilherme Grandando, and last but not l
east, pianist Angelica Sanchez – all
of whom have ample space to shine. Galactic Parables Vol 1 is a 2 disc set, one featuring the compositions as performed in Sardinia, and a second CD
of their performances at the Chicago Cultural Center, which is a smart approach, given the improvisational nature
of the material. There's plenty
of space for the players to explore, and the differing performances are no doubt colored and shaded in different ways by different environments. Amazing stuff! Titles include "Free Agents
Of Sound", "Make Way To The City", "The Arc
Of Slavery #72", "Helmets
Of Our Poisonous Thoughts #16", "Collections
Of Time" and "Awaken The World #41".
(Case has some light wear.)