| Chicago Underground Quartet | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2001 | |||
| Recorded | August 2000 | |||
| Studio | Soma, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Free jazz | |||
| Length | 41:50 | |||
| Label | Thrill Jockey 093 | |||
| Chicago Underground Quartet chronology | ||||
| ||||
Chicago Underground Quartet is the debut album by the jazz ensemble of the same name, featuring trumpeter Rob Mazurek, guitarist Jeff Parker, bassist Noel Kupersmith, and drummer Chad Taylor. It was recorded during August 2000 at Soma in Chicago, and was released in 2001 by Thrill Jockey. [1] [2] [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork |    [4] |
In a review for AllMusic, John Duffy wrote: "Merging the organic sounds of post-bop jazz with modern electronic and progressive music requires a delicate approach... few young jazz players are daring to go this far on record. All the more telling, an indie label had the courage to release it." [1]
Mark Richardson of Pitchfork stated: "The Chicago Underground Quartet know how to integrate technology into their distinctive jazz sound. It's a fusion of some kind... so Wynton would not approve. But I'd call it a worthy extension of the tradition." [4]
Writing for All About Jazz , Mark Corroto commented: "The band has fully realized their concepts of modernism in the form of free jazz meet electronics and minimalism... Like the former fellow Chicago residents known as Sun Ra's Arkestra, the Chicago Underground Quartet are taking their musical performance to another level, beyond the expectations of their own generation." [5] Another AAJ reviewer remarked: "The most exciting moments on Chicago Underground Quartet lie at the intersection between different musical territories, which the group self-confidently treats as a fluid continuum... Each tune on this record... is a composition in the formal sense. Themes and moods receive detailed attention before the quartet moves on. But the disc is constructed in a coherent way so that it acquires body and spirit as a whole." [6]
In an article for My City Paper, Nate Chinen noted: "Chicago Underground Quartet manages to emulate both the intelligent chaos of the AACM and the spooky minimalism of Brian Eno... Post-jazz? Perhaps. At the very least, it represents a new brand of chemistry, and the most consistently vital album of this ensemble's evolving career." [7]
Matt Cibula of PopMatters praised the individual musicians, calling them "four of the tightest and most precise young jazz musicians working today," but stated that the group "played it safe... and it didn't pay off." [8]
Matthew Shipp is an American avant-garde jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader.
Chicago Underground is an avant-garde jazz ensemble formed in Chicago in 1997 based around the core duo of cornetist Rob Mazurek and drummer/percussionist Chad Taylor. They have recorded and performed as the Chicago Underground Duo, Trio, Quartet or Orchestra depending on how many additional musicians are included. The ensemble which has released numerous recordings on the Thrill Jockey and Delmark labels.
Rob Mazurek is an American composer, cornetist, and visual artist based in Chicago.
Douglas McCombs is an American musician who plays bass and guitar with the instrumental rock band Tortoise and leads the instrumental band Brokeback. He is also the longtime bassist for the rock band Eleventh Dream Day. In 1997, he formed Pullman with Bundy K. Brown, Chris Brokaw, and Curtis Harvey, with whom he released two albums. In May 2018, McCombs replaced Eric Claridge as the touring bassist with Chicago jazz-pop outfit The Sea and Cake.
Jeff Parker is an American guitarist and composer based in Los Angeles. Born in Connecticut and raised in Hampton, Virginia, Parker is best known as an experimental musician, working with jazz, electronic, rock, and improvisational groups. Parker studied at Berklee College of Music and then moved to Chicago in 1991.
Slon is the third album from the Chicago Underground Trio. The album was released in January 2004 on Thrill Jockey Records. This is their first release on Thrill Jockey, their first two albums were released by Delmark Records. The album was produced by Bundy K. Brown. The trio consists of Rob Mazurek on cornet, Noel Kupersmith on bass and Chad Taylor on drums. This is their last release with bassist Noel Kupersmith. Mazurek and Taylor have also combined as the Chicago Underground Duo and with the Chicago Underground Orchestra.
Back at the Velvet Lounge is an album by American jazz saxophonist Fred Anderson, which was recorded in 2002 and released on Delmark. This second installment on Bob Koester's label of live recordings made at Fred's own club, the Velvet Lounge, features the young trumpeter Maurice Brown making his first appearance on CD, Chicago Underground's guitarist Jeff Parker and drummer Chad Taylor, and bassists Tatsu Aoki and Harrison Bankhead.
Possible Cube is an album by Chicago Underground Trio which was recorded in 1999 and released on the Delmark label.
Flamethrower is an album by Chicago Underground Trio which was recorded in 2000 and released on the Delmark label.
Playground is an album by Robert Mazurek Chicago Underground Orchestra which was released on the Delmark label in 1998.
Synesthesia is an album by Chicago Underground Duo which was recorded in 1999 and released on the Delmark label the following year.
Chad Taylor is an American drummer, percussionist, and composer. Taylor leads both the Chad Taylor Trio with Brian Settles and Neil Podgurski and Circle Down with Angelica Sanchez and Chris Lightcap. He is a founding member of the Chicago Underground along with Jeff Parker and Rob Mazurek.
Spiral Mercury is a live album by Pharoah & the Underground, featuring saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, trumpeter Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor of the Chicago Underground Duo, along with percussionist Mauricio Takara of the São Paulo Underground, bassist Matthew Lux of the Pulsar Quartet, and multi-instrumentalist Guilherme Granado. It was recorded on August 11, 2013, at the Jazz em Agosto Festival in Lisbon, and was released in 2014 by Clean Feed Records.
Chronicle is a live album by the Chicago Underground Trio, featuring trumpeter Rob Mazurek, bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer Chad Taylor. It was recorded on July 21, 2006, at the German Cultural Center in Chicago, and was released in 2007 by Delmark Records in both CD and DVD formats, the latter directed by Raymond Salvatore Harmon.
Good Days is an album by the Chicago Underground Quartet, featuring trumpeter Rob Mazurek, guitarist Jeff Parker, keyboardist Josh Johnson, and drummer Chad Taylor. It was recorded during 2018 and 2019 at Big Ego in Long Beach California, and was released in 2020 by Astral Spirits Records.
Locus is an album by the Chicago Underground Duo, featuring multi-instrumentalists Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor. It was recorded at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, Illinois, and was issued in 2014 by Northern Spy Records as the group's second release for the label.
Boca Negra is an album by the Chicago Underground Duo, featuring multi-instrumentalists Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor. It was recorded during May 2009 at El Rocha Studios in São Paulo, Brazil, and was released in 2010 by the Thrill Jockey label.
In Praise of Shadows is an album by the Chicago Underground Duo, featuring multi-instrumentalists Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor. It was recorded during August 2005 at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, and was released in 2006 by the Thrill Jockey label.
12° of Freedom is the debut album by the Chicago Underground Duo, featuring multi-instrumentalists Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor. It was recorded during January and June 1997 at three different locations, and was released in 1998 by the Thrill Jockey label. Guitarist Jeff Parker also appears on three tracks.
Axis and Alignment is an album by the Chicago Underground Duo, featuring multi-instrumentalists Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor. It was recorded during the summer of 2001 at Soma Electronic Music Studios in Chicago, and was released in 2002 by the Thrill Jockey label.