A fantastic meeting of the musical minds – coming together here in a set of live improvisations recorded at a record store in Greece! The setting's an unusual one, and the music is too – sounds that really move past the usual for all three players, but especially David Grubbs and Mats Gustafsson – both of whom seem very comfortable here in some of the sonic territory that we normally hear more from Rob Mazurek! Grubbs' guitar is quite different than on some of his own records – especially the solo acoustic moments – and Mats reminds us that he's not just a hell of a saxophonist, but also a master of many other ways to disturb the flow of air – delivering work here on flute, fluteophone, and live electronics – the last of which is matched with more electronics from Rob Mazurek, who also plays piccolo trumpet and wood flute too. Every song has a different shape and texture, which is a further testament to both the sensitivities of the musicians, and their sympathies with each other – and titles include "Not In A Hall Of Mirrors", "Creep Mission", "City Stones Sleep", and "Goats & Hollers". CD

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". CD

Damon Locks and Rob Mazurek are no musical strangers to each other – their paths have crossed often on the Chicago and global scenes over many years of creative activity. Yet this project is also the first they've co-led, and it's an incredible document of how much both artists have grown in recent years – especially when they let their talents flow together on a project like this! At some level, the core of the work is the voice that both artists have discovered – Locks, his own more focused message and ability to find other voices to sample in with his own – Mazurek, a way of using his own voice more directly, in addition to his well-known work on trumpets and electronics. Both Rob and Damon are in the forefront here, criss-crossing electric and acoustic elements with voices live and sampled – mixed with guest voices from others, in a swirlingly creative project that not only lives up to the current legacy of International Anthem and the Chicago scene, but also advances it a few notches too. Titles include "Breeze Of Time", "New Future", "Yes", "The Sun Returns", "Future City", "Las Ninas Estan Escuchando", "Support The Youth", "10 Mins Past The Hour", and "Polaris Radio". LP, Vinyl record album

Rob Mazurek is one of the most collaborative musicians we know – but this time around, he's completely solo, but handling a range of instruments that might usually be associated with a larger group! In addition to his familiar trumpet and pocket trumpet work, Rob's creating sounds here on prepared and regular piano, bells, shakers, flutes, and percussion – and also using a bit of sampler work, his voice, and even a bucket too – all in the kind of spontaneously spiritual styles he's unlocked in improvisations with other players in recent years! The sound is wonderful – maybe a more intimate take on the Exploding Star vibe – and titles include "Sbagliato", "Bar Basso", "Moss Covered Hips", "Collectors Of Bones", "Collimated & Trestled", and "Magic Yellow Bucket". CD

Rob Mazurek has always been more of a multi-instrumentalist instead of just a cornet player – but on this amazing solo set, he really pushes the boundaries even further – by taking up a huge host of different elements and different sounds! That soaring, spacious horn is still in the lead – a legacy that Rob seems to have inherited from 70s Miles Davis, but taken to even trippier territory – but the record also features flute, electronics, maracas, and bells – as well as weird objects like books, boxes, and apples! Mazurek uses a bit of distortion at times, which really helps unlike things resonate together – and the set's easily some of his most personal, evocative music to date. Titles include "Toward New Light", "Quiet The Thunder Bells", "The Breath Of Life You Gave To Me", "You Were Born With Sun In Your Eyes", and "Toward Enlightenment". CD

An incredible solo record from Rob Mazurek – a wonderful change from some of his larger group and collaborative projects – even though we love those a heck of a lot too! This set's a great reminder of the core improvisational genius that Rob's always had, but which sometimes is overshadowed by the group activity on his other records. Here, Mazurek blows cornet alone, and also plays both standard and prepared piano – and colors things with just a dash of his great electronics – often used in more sparing and subtle ways than some of his group efforts. A really beautiful set from a musician who continues to reward us over the years – with titles that include "Twombly At New Church", "Gazing Through Walls", "King Of Rome", and "Sweet Life In Disrepair". CD

Ever-adventurous composer, arranger and coronet player Rob Mazurek teams up with similarly creative wanderer Emmett Kelly (Cairo Gang, Josh Abrams Natural Information Society and more)! Alien Flower Sutra finds the duo and their guest players crafting a pretty awesome mix of interstellar psych-jazz-folk with vocals and guitar – with lots of fuzzier, jazzier instrumental passages. Very cool stuff on International Anthem, which has quickly become one of Chicago's best indie labels for free thinking creative output! Mazurek handles the electronic treatments, synths and coronet, with Kelly's lyrics, voice and guitars, and accompanied by Guilherme Granado, Carlos Issam Thomas Rohrer and Brittany Mazurek. Includes "Back To The Ocean, Back To The Sea", "Android Love Cry", "Blackout", "Bright Nights Havoc", "I Untied My Wrists", "Of Time Wasted", "Remember Nothing", "Embryo Genesis", "We Are One" and "Overture Towards The Beginning Of The End Of Time". CD

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". CD

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". LP, Vinyl record album

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 least, 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". CD

A killer set from a group that may well be the most perfectly realized version of the Exploding Star concept from Rob Mazurek – one who've got some fantastic parts that come together here in a wonderfully visionary record! Rob's still in the lead on trumpets and electronics – but the group really resonates from some key contributions from Damon Locks on voice and more electronics – at a level that has him rising to that long-overdue role of stardom, which seems to give the whole group an even greater source of focus and energy. Jeff Parker lays down some wicked guitar, Angelica Sanchez and Craig Taborn are fantastic on Wurlitzer electric pianos and moog – and the great Nicole Mitchell is on flute and a bit of vocals. There's a sense of majesty here that Mazurek has never had before – and the album is maybe one of the most crowning achievements in his long and very storied career. Titles include "Future Shaman", "Shape Shifter", "White River", "Dream Sleeper", and "Black River". LP, Vinyl record album

A really mesmerizing performance from a completely fantastic version of Rob Mazurek's Exploding Star Orchestra – a smaller unit, and one that seems to bring even more focus to Rob's incredible musical vision of the past decade or so! Mazurek has grown tremendously as a player in the 21st Century, and matured into a role as a generous leader who really seems to bring out the best in the musicians he works with – in this case an all-star lineup that features Tomeka Reid on cello and electronics, Angelica Sanchez on Wurlitzer electric piano, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, and Damon Locks on voice, electronics, and text. Locks and Mazurek have an especially strong rapport – especially as Rob vocalizes a bit too – and the performance takes all the spiritual expressions of previous Exploding Star records, refines them down with a new focus, then sends them soaring to the skies! The album features two long tracks – "Equations Of Love In Prismatic Waves Of Color" and "Driftless". CD

One of the most ambitious albums ever from Rob Mazurek – and a set that really continues the legacy of community building and world healing that's become such an important part of his music! Rob's a player who was great at the start – a hell of a trumpeter, and a great experimentalist with electronics – but in recent years, he's matured to become a real messenger for the farther, future reaches of jazz – with an energy that makes a collaborative project like this come off in a way that might never have occurred in the hands of any other musician! Mazurek is at the head – director, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist too – and the large lineup is filled with heavyweights from the Chicago scene that Rob helped shape over the past few decades – plus others as well – players who include Damon Locks on voice and electronics, Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Tomeka Reid on cello, Joel Ross on vibes, Jaimi Branch on trumpet, Jeff Parker on guitar, Ingebrigit Haker Flate on bass, and Chad Taylor, John Herndon, and Mikel Patrick Avery on a variety of drums and percussion. There's a richness here that tops other Exploding Star Orchestra performances – and more of a focus, too – so that the whole thing comes together as even more than the sum of its mighty parts, as one of the best International Anthem releases to date. Titles include "Galaxy 1000", "Parable Of Inclusion", "Autumn Pleiades", "Minerals Bionic Stereo", "Dimensional Stardust", "Abstract Dark Energy", and "The Careening Prism Within". LP, Vinyl record album

One long piece, played with searing intensity by the trio of Cene Resnik on tenor, Giorgio Pacorig on piano, and Mark Lasic on drums – joined here by Rob Mazurek on some great pocket trumpet too! The piece builds with this resonant interplay between all four forces in the quartet – and Mazurek sometimes steps back, to wait for his space, then provides just the right punctuation – in a manner that really reminds us of the way that he can be an improviser who's patient, but powerful too! CD

A really beautiful record from Rob Mazurek – and one of his most different recordings in years! The set's a quartet date, recorded live – and has especially strong input from Kris Davis, who plays both piano and prepared piano – using the acoustic instrument to inflect the music of Mazurek in a really different way! Also great is bassist Ingegbrigt Haker Flaten – always a great presence, but maybe more conventionally swinging at times here than usual, if that's possible. Although the bass may well be driven strongly by the drums of Chad Taylor – a longtime partner of Rob's, but also really showing the growth he's experienced since their more frequent projects from ten to twenty years back. Mazurek himself is almost understated, but in a way that lets the whole group work strongly as a whole – and Rob plays piccolo, trumpet, and modular synth! CD

Beautiful work from Rob Mazurek – a player we respect more and more with each new release! The title here is especially well chosen – as "Sound Is" definitely what the record is about – a set that follows in the same legacy of sonic exploration first begun on seminal Delmark Records sides cut by the AACM in the 60s – recast here by a new Chicago generation that features Mazurek on cornet and piano, John Herndon on drums and percussion, Matt Lux on electric bass, Josh Abrams on acoustic bass and piano, and Jason Adasiewicz on some especially nice vibes! The vibes often have this chromatic quality that's starkly metallic – ringing out strongly next to Abrams' warmer bass, and Mazurek's palette of colors on his horn – driven by a brooding sense of rhythm from Herndon, playing here away from his more familiar Tortoise setting, and reminding us that he's always had a great ear for jazz. Titles include "The Earthquake Tree", "The Star Splitter", "The Dream Rocker", "Microrapagonafly", "Aphrodite Rising", "The Field", "Nora Grace", "Le Baiser", and "Dragon Kites". CD

Ever-adventurous composer, arranger and coronet player Rob Mazurek teams up with similarly creative wanderer Emmett Kelly (Cairo Gang, Josh Abrams Natural Information Society and more)! Alien Flower Sutra finds the duo and their guest players crafting a pretty awesome mix of interstellar psych-jazz-folk with vocals and guitar – with lots of fuzzier, jazzier instrumental passages. Very cool stuff on International Anthem, which has quickly become one of Chicago's best indie labels for free thinking creative output! Mazurek handles the electronic treatments, synths and coronet, with Kelly's lyrics, voice and guitars, and accompanied by Guilherme Granado, Carlos Issam Thomas Rohrer and Brittany Mazurek. Includes "Back To The Ocean, Back To The Sea", "Android Love Cry", "Blackout", "Bright Nights Havoc", "I Untied My Wrists", "Of Time Wasted", "Remember Nothing", "Embryo Genesis", "We Are One" and "Overture Towards The Beginning Of The End Of Time". CD

An incredible feather in the already-large hat of Rob Mazurek – work that more than lives up to some of his boldest visions on previous recordings, but does so in a completely new direction! The album features a set of larger-form compositions all put together by Rob – in ways that show a remarkable ear for mature colors and concepts – handled by players who are both from the third coast of the Chicago scene, and from Brest in France – where all the music here came together! Even if you already know and love Mazurek's other music, there's something very different and special here – as Rob's cornet and direction shape the sound of a lineup that features incredible performances from Nicole Mitchell on flutes, Christiphe Rocher on clarinets, Jeff Parker on guitar, Lou Malozzi on electronics, Steve Berry on trombone, Christofer Bjurstrom on piano, Philippe Champion on trumpet, Tomeka Reid on cello, Nicolas Peoc'H on alto and soprano sax, Irvin Pierce on tenor, and Avreeayl Ra on drums. There's also some beautiful texts penned by Alexandre Pierrepont and background voice from Yannick Leblay – and while the idea of such trans-Atlantic avant jazz collaboration is nothing new, there's a very special, very unique quality to this set – almost as if the players had been working together for many years to realize Rob's vision. Titles include "Under The Hearts Snow", "The Game Circle", "Wild Gale", "On The Trapeze Of Minds Ferns", "Cobalt Of Chance", "This Is The Atoll", and "Drinkable Gold With Shadows' Liquor". CD

A fantastic meeting of the musical minds – coming together here in a set of live improvisations recorded at a record store in Greece! The setting's an unusual one, and the music is too – sounds that really move past the usual for all three players, but especially David Grubbs and Mats Gustafsson – both of whom seem very comfortable here in some of the sonic territory that we normally hear more from Rob Mazurek! Grubbs' guitar is quite different than on some of his own records – especially the solo acoustic moments – and Mats reminds us that he's not just a hell of a saxophonist, but also a master of many other ways to disturb the flow of air – delivering work here on flute, fluteophone, and live electronics – the last of which is matched with more electronics from Rob Mazurek, who also plays piccolo trumpet and wood flute too. Every song has a different shape and texture, which is a further testament to both the sensitivities of the musicians, and their sympathies with each other – and titles include "Not In A Hall Of Mirrors", "Creep Mission", "City Stones Sleep", and "Goats & Hollers". CD

A mindblowing mix of acoustic and electric elements – a set that's in part very much like some of the more freewheeling work of cornetist Rob Mazurek, but which also features an organic core in the presence of AACM reedman Mwata Boden! Bowden adds in clarinet, baritone, didgeridoo, and percussion – all of which provide a very striking contrast and strong sense of soul alongside the electric guitar of Julian Desprez, electric bass of Matt Lux, and acoustic guitar of Mathieu Sourisseau – a French/Chicago combination of players who really stretch out here on two long tracks! Mazurek also adds some electronics next to his cornet – as on other recordings – and the set features the great addition of Douglas Ewart on half of the set – whose use of English horn and bamboo piccolo echo the spiritual currents of Bowden. Titles include "Fourth View" and "Second Side". CD

Features key ingredients from the Chicago scene including Chad Taylor, Jemeel Moondoc, Tom Abbs, Steve Swell, David Boykin, Rob Mazurek, and Avreeayl Ra. CD

Wonderful work from the Chicago Underground Duo – a real back to basics session from the team of Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor, playing here in spare duets that involve percussion, vibes, guitar, cornet, electronics, and piano. The set was recorded at Soma, for their airy Chicago sound – and although spare, the session is a lush assemblage of moods and soundscapes that pushes the boundaries of this ever-changing, always-creative team. Titles include "Lem", "Noon", "Access & Enlightenment", "Micro Exit", "Lifelines", and "Exponent Red". CD

Another fine effort from the Chicago Underground Duo – multi-instrumentalists Chad Talyor and Rob Mazurek – and like the duo's earlier work on Thrill Jockey, it's a wonderful listen, that traipses through elements of Don Cherry-like jazz experimentation, and percussive, minimalist avant rock! The sound is uncategorizable in the best sense, and the duo has chops that devour most of their contempories. Another great one! Mazurek works on cornet, organ, celest, piano, harpsichord and more, and Taylor is drums, perussion, gongs vibe and more. Tracks include "In Praise Of Shadows", "Falling Awake", "The Glass House", "Cities Without Citadels", "Pangea", "Funeral Of Dreams" and "The Light Between". CD

Really inventive sounds from this hip Italian trio – a combo who have a way of mixing acoustic and electric elements in ways that echo recent experiments on both the Chicago and London scenes! The music is jazz, but with a strong reliance on larger soundscapes – a quality that's echoed here by the appearance of Rob Mazurek on one track, who seems to be a great inspiration for the way the group approaches their music! The core trio features Gabriele Mitelli on trumpets and electronics, Cristiano Calcagnile on drums and percussion, and Pasquale Mirra on vibes and korg minilogue – all of which makes for a great layering of creative sounds. The set also features guest work from Damon Locks and Cristina Dona – and titles include "The Black Shining Of The Sea", "Hey Mary", "The Elephant", "Fata Morgana", "Cherry Juice In A Box", and "Awakening". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice little underground session from the burgeoning young Chicago scene – oddly released on a UK label! Drummer Ted Sirota leads a lively little quintet that includes Jeff Parker on guitar, Kevin Kizer on tenor, and Rob Mazurek on cornet – and the band has a warm lyrical feel, and a surprisingly mature approach to playing. The whole album features original compositions by the members of the group – many with the kind of creativity that we've come to expect from Mazurek's Chicago Underground groups. Titles include "Geronimo's Free", "Carolynn's Blues", "Lonely People", "La Danse De Janvier", and "Little Spots". CD

The fifth album from the Chicago Underground Duo – Chad Taylor on drums, vibes, mbira and electronics and Rob Mazurek on coronet and electronics – a hypnotic aural experience from a pair of modern masters who seamlessly craft a world of influences into their own dynamic sound! It's pretty amazing stuff, with the pair working with sounds from the avant jazz underground of the previous several decades,jazz and world folk music that reaches from Africa to Brazil, and the subtle manipulations of the electronic experimentalists. Some movements build to a dexterous intensity, with Taylor sometimes playing different instruments simultaneously, but it's not about the brazen display of skill and craft, the compositions and the improvisations feel natural and vital. Wonderful stuff, we're very proud of the Chicago underground jazz scene that inspired both players and their title! Titles include "Spy On The Floor", "Green Ants", "Left Hand Of Darkness", "Quantum Eye", "Vergence", "Conflicition", "Roots And Shooting Stars", "Hermeto" and more. 10 tracks on the CD. CD

A brilliant set from the Chicago scene – a trio that features cornet from Rob Mazurek, drums from John Herndon, and some mighty vibes from Jason Adasiewicz – easily one of the most important players on his instrument in the past decade! There's a mixture of freeness and togetherness here that really reminds us of the 60s new thing generation – like Bobby Hutcherson coming together with Tony Williams – yet infused with the genre-crossing energy that all three players embrace – that rich legacy that both Mazurek and Herndon bring to the session, and help show the way for a new chapter in the music of Adasiewicz. Proof that Delmark is suddenly as hip again as it was in the late 60s – with cuts that include "Orange Blossom", "Double Demon", "Vodou Cinque", "Skull Cave", and "Triple Hex". CD

You might know Jaimie Branch as a trumpeter, but as part of the Anteloper duo she also handles a fair bit of electronics – working alongside drummer Jason Nazary, who's also pretty handy with the synth as well! The album was recorded live, and features a great pairing of electronic and acoustic elements – and is presented here with notes from Rob Mazurek, whose own music can hit similar territory at times – making him the perfect person to direct our approach to the proceedings! However, there's also a difference here – some nicely organic moments at times, when the electronics almost take on qualities of the other instruments – mixed with other passages that have them in starker contrast. Titles include "Fossil Record", "Oryx", "Lethal Curve", and "Seclusion Self". LP, Vinyl record album

Very nice stuff from the duo of Chad Taylor and Rob Mazurek, two players who are currently among some of the best in Chicago's hot jazz/rock crossover scene. Taylor plays percussion and vibes, Mazurek plays cornet, piano, and flute – and the pair are joined by guitarist Jeff Parker on a number of tracks. Titles include "The Pursued", "Not Quite Dark Yet and The Stars Shining Above The Withered Fields", "Lemon Grass", and "The Big Bang Theory". CD

A fantastic step in the continuing evolution of the "Chicago Underground" project of trumpeter Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor – soaring out here in a set that's full of spiritual energy and a level of imagination that even surpasses their classic recordings from years ago! Mazurek blows piccolo trumpet, but also adds in some electronics – and Taylor is mindblowing on drums, playing with a style that's open, but always gently swinging – and matched with some synth bass from Josh Johnson, who also plays organ and piano on the set. The mighty guitarist Jeff Parker is the last member of the group – and like Mazurek, he's really come a long way in the past decade, and the quartet work together here at a level that has us falling in love with the Chicago Underground all over again. Moody at times, but never too loose – and titles include "Orgasm", "Good Days", "Batida", "All The Bells", "Unique Spiral", "Lome", "Westview", and "Strange Wing". CD

The first-ever live performance from the Chicago Underground team of Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor – working here as a trio, with bassist Jason Ajemian as a wonderful addition to the group! Ajemian's basslines really dominate the initial part of the set – creating a pulse that draws in the drums of Taylor and cornet of Mazurek – who then both open up on a variety of other instruments, including moog, electric celeste, gong, bamboo flute, vibes, marimba, and other percussion – all used in an almost AACM-like way. Ajemian contributes some electronics to the set, as does Mazurek – but the best sounds here are all acoustic ones – played with an abstracted sensibility that's quite textural, and which furthers the trademark expressions that have made Mazurek and Taylor one of the most compelling jazz teams to come from the Chicago scene in the past few decades. Titles include "Initiation", "Resistance", "Power", "Transformation", "Crisis", and "Transcendence". CD

With Rob Mazurek on tenor saxophone. CD

Three improvisors from the contemporary underground American scenec, the Chicago Underground's Rob Mazurek on cornet and electronics joins Jason Roebke on bass and Dylan van der Schyff on drums. CD