Chicago Underground is the handle used by cornetist Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor. The final designation can be Duo, Orchestra, or, as here, Trio--depending (naturally) on the number of people joining in. What's more... more », the lineup for Chicago Underground Trio's Flamethrower is actually a quartet that features bassist Noel Kupersmith and guitarist Jeff Parker. Confused? All four are part of the busy circle of musicians who move between the postbop, freeform jazz circles and the Windy City's shape-shifting postrock scene. The music on Flamethrower is often thoughtful, filled with melodic, sometimes sonorous phrasing. Keeping things from getting too chill, the group creates a backdrop of free-jazz musings and filigrees, odd electronic loops, and the pitter-patter of percussion. Parker and Mazurek do much of the lead work, but seldom intersect, opting to take turns instead. Like artists working with splashes of sound, the four create impressionistic aural works that are nothing less than magical. --Tad Hendrickson« less
Chicago Underground is the handle used by cornetist Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor. The final designation can be Duo, Orchestra, or, as here, Trio--depending (naturally) on the number of people joining in. What's more, the lineup for Chicago Underground Trio's Flamethrower is actually a quartet that features bassist Noel Kupersmith and guitarist Jeff Parker. Confused? All four are part of the busy circle of musicians who move between the postbop, freeform jazz circles and the Windy City's shape-shifting postrock scene. The music on Flamethrower is often thoughtful, filled with melodic, sometimes sonorous phrasing. Keeping things from getting too chill, the group creates a backdrop of free-jazz musings and filigrees, odd electronic loops, and the pitter-patter of percussion. Parker and Mazurek do much of the lead work, but seldom intersect, opting to take turns instead. Like artists working with splashes of sound, the four create impressionistic aural works that are nothing less than magical. --Tad Hendrickson
CD Reviews
Chicago Undrground Trio - Flame thrower
Felipe Cussen A. | Santiago, Chile | 11/14/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"En este disco, Chicago Underground Trio nos permite descubrir una extraña belleza que subyace en el caos. A través de un constante oscilamiento entre diversas tensiones, pasamos de lo más duro, áspero, creado por la superposición azarosa de melodías y ruidos, a paisajes reflexivos apenas dibujados por un par de notas, a bondadosas melodías casi infantiles o a los ritmos claramente marcados y obsesivamente repetidos de lo que podría ser un tema de jazz tradicional. Hay aquí un excelente trabajo a nivel tímbrico: se busca mostrar sonidos poco explorados a través del uso del arco para el contrabajo, las sordinas, los ruidos electrónicos, etc., para profundizar la diversidad de melodías generalmente inconexas y de fraseo bastante ilógico. Por otra parte, conviven aquí temas de una extensa duración, en los cuales hay secciones con ambientes muy distintos, donde los músicos extienden toda su creatividad y, por otra part, hay miniaturas de menos de un minuto, donde la contención y la precisión son la regla. Éste es un esfuerzo musical que se acerca mucho (además del jazz, la improvisación libre, la electrónica, el post-rock, etc.) a la música contemporánea, y es en ese sentido que las calificaciones de desorden, disarmonía, etc., no son negativas sino positivas. Pues, en definitiva, se agradece esta constante búsqueda a lo largo de todas las canciones por atreverse a desarmar los fundamentos de un acompañamiento de contrabajo y batería, buscar tantas posibilidades sonoras, atreverse a superponer y negar tantas melodías."
More amazing music from the Chicago Underground.
Papa Smerv-B'Gard | Seattle, WA USA | 01/26/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"In Flamethrower, the Chicago Underground duo/trio/quartet takes on a new face as guitarist Jeff Parker (tortoise, isotope 217, tricolor, New Horizons Ensemble) joins up and brings to the table his wandering melodic style. It fits in perfectly with Rob Mazurek's cornet, and produces some of the finest music I've heard from the group. Although there are 4 musicians on the record they rotate in a way in which there are only 3 people playing at a time, thus it is called a trio. The use of electronics and synthesis is still there to widen the spectrum of sound, but Flamethrower seems to rely more on post-bop composition and improvisation than some of their other recordings. I definately recommend this to anyone looking for real new direction in modern jazz music."
The Shifting Center of Jazz
J. Christmas | New Brunswick, NJ | 10/25/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the tradition of the Art Ensemble, this four-man "trio" is making headway in wresting jazz out of New York's vice-like grip. By this I mean that while most of the great jazz after Louis Armstong came from New York, that same city has, in recent years, produced very little that is fresh or new.The best of the "Chicago Underground" settings, the Trio takes an approach of musical "wholeness", drawing from straight-ahead jazz, free jazz, art-noise, and electronic music, but blending these seamlessly rather than simply mashing them together. They take their approach from the jazz tradition, but use sounds from all over the sonic pallette, rather than just traditional instruments.Of the two "Trio", two "Duo" and one "Orchestra" recordings to be released, this is by far the strongest. Guitarist Jeff Parker's stronger presence on this album fills out the groups sound nicely, and adds an edge that the last release "Possible Cube" lacked. The Trio is at its best when it sticks to some semblance of form. Its free explorations sometimes get a little pedestrian, or resort to free jazz cliches. But in spite of this, I give the album five stars, because this is the most promising jazz-related group that I have heard in a long time."
A trio or a quartet, what difference does it make?
Troy Collins | Lancaster, PA United States | 05/16/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This group has basically the same line up as Isotope 217. Yes, Jeff Parker (Tortoise guitarist) is now an official fourth member of the trio ?! Wacky.On this album the shorter pieces are like mini-electronic symphonettes and the longer pieces are swingin' jazz quartet numbers. If the up-tempo tunes aren't catchy in a swingin' post-bop vein ("Warm Marsh"), then they are more tumultuous in a VERY Sun Ra-esque way ("Number 19"). Although sans the silly space chants, of course. Nice to hear them playing with their Chicago / AACM jazz heritage.Fans of interesting jazz trumpet playing that were disappointed by the lacking presence of Rob Mazurek's cornet on the recent Isotope 217 album will be delighted with this one. Long drawn out Miles Davis influenced passages are contrasted with his more splintery Don Cherry like playing on the free-er pieces. And Jeff's guitar playing is all over this album too, lots of solo space for him on this one. His transition from melodic post-bop linear soloing to the frenzied textural free playing on the first cut "Quail" is breathtaking.I highly recommended this to jazz fans that are looking for something that?s swinging but still modern and forward thinking."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1