Playground

by Rob Mazurek, Chicago Underground Orchestra

Overview

A revelation. Cornetist Mazurek and his Chicago Underground Orchestra -- here consisting of guitarist Jeff Parker (from Tortoise), trombonist Sara P. Smith, bassist Chris Lopes, and drummer Chad Taylor -- create some of the freshest sounds of late-'90s jazz. Mazurek and Parker's original tunes have the loose improvisatory feel of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock's late-'60s compositions, giving soloists free rein to strut their stuff. The two cover tunes -- Hancock's "Blow Up" and Duke Ellington's "Le Sucrier Velours" -- sound right at home here, with the first treated to a driving, percussive workout while the latter floats along at a more meditative pace. Imaginative use of instrumental colors and combinations prevail throughout the album. Mazurek's playing on the drifting "Inner Soul of H" has that vulnerable purity that Miles Davis exhibited on his In a Silent Way sessions. ~ Rick Watrous

Product Details

Release Date:	02/10/1998
Label:	Delmark
UPC:	0038153050320
Rank:	162159

Tracks

1. Blow Up
2. Flamingos Dancing on Luminescent Moonbeams
3. Boiled Over
4. Le Sucrier Velours
5. Components Changes
6. Playground
7. Jeff's New Idea
8. The Inner Soul of H
9. Whitney
10. Ostinato

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rob Mazurek   Primary Artist,Bells,Cornet,Trumpet,Toy Trumpet,Bamboo Flute
Chicago Underground Orchestra   Primary Artist
Jeff Parker   Guest Artist,Guitar,Cowbell,Recorder
Sara P. Smith   Percussion,Glockenspiel,Trombone,Vocals,Cymbals,Recorder
Chad Taylor   Drums
Dan Bitney   Congas
Johnny Herdon   Bongos
Chris Lopes   Bass,Vocals,Indian Flute
Tony Pinciotti   Percussion
Chris Lopez   Bass

Technical Credits

Duke Ellington   Composer
Jeff Parker   Composer,Producer
Rob Mazurek   Composer,Producer,Photography
Robert G. Koester   Producer
Bundy K. Brown   Mixing,Engineer
Herbie Hancock   Composer
Chicago Underground Orchestra   Performer
Peter Margasak   Liner Note Compilation
Al Brandtner   Design