Albums by this artist

Playground (1998)

Chicago Underground Orchestra

Playground

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» JONATHAN COHEN | SENIOR EDITOR

Chicago Underground Orchestra Playground Delmark, 1998 RiYL: Ornette Coleman, Tortoise, Duke Ellington

Chicago cornetist Rob Mazurek takes a turn away from straight jazz on Playground, his first album as part of the Chicago Underground Orchestra, which features guitarist Jeff Parker, trombonist Sara P. Smith, bassist Chris Lopes and drummer Chad Taylor.

A percussive, nine-minute treatment of Herbie Hancock's "Blow Up" kicks things off, segueing nicely into Mazurek's warm, lovely "Flamingos Dancing On Luminescent Moonbeams." "Flamingos" is just one of many tracks on Playground that manages to sound contemporary without engaging in free-jazz chaos. Tracks such as "Ostinato," another Mazurek original, accomplish an array of dazzling solos that keep the arrangements from meandering too far.

Parker's guitar work, featured prominently on Tortoise's TNT album, is a continual treat here. On "Boiled Over," his exploratory tones nudge the piece into a frenetic midsection that shows just how cool free-jazz can be when played by ace musicians. "Whitney" is a beautiful ballad, while "Jeff's New Idea" sports a more unconventional melody.

Playground is literate, worthwhile jazz that touches on everything from hard bop to softer standards such as Duke Ellington's "Le Sucrier Velours." Recommended highly.

JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"