Exploding Star Orchestra

[.:.impossible]

Anyone bought this yet? Any Chicagoans seen them perform? I don't recall reading any reviews here.

Click here to listen.

The Exploding Star Orchestra is, for this recording:

Rob Mazurek – Composer, Director Cornet, Electronics

Nicole Mitchell – Flutes, Voice

Jeb Bishop - Trombone

Corey Wilkes - Flugelhorn

Josh Berman - Cornet

Matt Bauder - Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone

Jeff Parker - Guitar

Jim Baker – Piano, ARP Synthesizer, Pianette

Jason Adasiewicz - Vibraphone

John McEntire – Marimba, Tubular Bells, Edits, Recording Engineer

Matt Lux - Electric Bass Guitar

Jason Ajemian - Acoustic Bass

Mike Reed – Drums, Percussion, Saw

John Herndon - Drums

All compositions, arrangements, text and concepts are by Rob Mazurek unless otherwise noted.

In 2005, cornetist Rob Mazurek was approached by The Chicago Cultural Center and the Jazz Institute to put together a group that would represent the more contemporary / avant-garde side of sound in Chicago for a concert in Millennium Park’s Frank Gehry-designed concert hall. The music was conceptualized/composed in Manaus Brazil, Fontevraud, France and Chicago, and developed over more than a dozen performances of the Orchestra before it was recorded by John McEntire at his Soma Studio in Chicago.

We Are All From Somewhere Else is comprised of 3 distinct sections, and corresponds to a story involving an exploding star, cosmic transformation, a sting ray, the travels of the sting ray, intelligent conversations with electric eels, the destructive power of humans, the death and ascension of sting ray, the transformation of sting ray ghost to flying bird, and the transformation of bird to phoenix to rocket to flying burning matter to a new-born star.

[ep1str0phy]

Cripes, that's a great band.

[Lazaro Vega]

Been playing it on the radio and have featured the first suite as well as Baker piano solo so far. Will play more this Wednesday at midnight "Out On Blue Lake."

[.:.impossible]

My copy is in the mail. I don't know if this is a good representation of what is really happening in Chicago right now or not, but that was the idea behind the commission. I like what I hear. I was surprised by his choice in drummer before listening to the music, but listening to the tracks on the TJ site, it made more sense.

I hope there is more money in Chicago for projects like this. I'd certainly like to catch this band live.

[BFrank]

I have it in my "Save for Later" folder in eMusic. I read an interesting review somewhere about it.

[Lazaro Vega]

Just played the entire second suite on the air.

[Lazaro Vega]

Cornetist Rob Mazurek's avant "super group" where, "the overall organic approach included actual organic sounds - for example, the sounds of electric eels recorded by Mazurek at INPA research laboratory in Manaus. The juxtaposition of two drums, two basses, two mallets, multiple flutes, two cornets, bass clarinet, ARP synthesizer, guitar, trombone, voices and flugelhorn all played important roles in the development of the final sound.

"“Psycho-Tropic Electric Eel Dream” is a group improvisation centered around the sound of electric eels. The electric eel tanks Mazurek recorded at INPA contain two species of eels, Pulsating and Waveform. The sound was recorded in a special tank of 15-20 eels of various sub-species, each with its own tone. The results are fascinating tonal clusters not unlike the sound of violins."

There's so much going on here that after three full passes through the album it hasn't completely sunk in. Nichole Mitchell's flute is a centerpiece in the work.

http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/?id=10140

Edited March 9, 2007 by Lazaro Vega

[JSngry]

You beat me to it, Lazaro!

I haven't been listening to a lot of jazz lately, but this one got left in the changer for a week, and gladly so.

Highly recommended!

[.:.impossible]

I was wondering what everyone here thought of this album! I really like it. Glad to see that Lazaro and Jim are enjoying it. Anyone else? Nicole Mitchell is certainly a stand-out here. I also think Jeff Parker takes some great time and uses some fitting/surprising guitar tones for this music. Jim Baker anyone?

I'd love to have heard them perform live prior to this recording.

[Lazaro Vega]

I was wondering what everyone here thought of this album! I really like it. Glad to see that Lazaro and Jim are enjoying it. Anyone else? Nicole Mitchell is certainly a stand-out here. I also think Jeff Parker takes some great time and uses some fitting/surprising guitar tones for this music. Jim Baker anyone?

I'd love to have heard them perform live prior to this recording.

Looks like they worked up to the recording and it sounds like it: there are all kinds of things happening to hold this together. The eels thing is a trip, though, wow. Who thinks of that? Whales and wolves and other critters with Paul Winter in a romantic (classic sense, not sexual sense), sentimental, even nostalgic "environmental jazz" thing in the 70's. But eels just for their sound. "Baby baby its a wild world...."

[Jay]

Catching up on some posts and saw this one. This is a great record - my album of the year so far. Impressive work from all - particularly Jason Adasiwicz's vibes, Mazurek's horns/soundscapes, Mitchell's truly astonishing flute and Parker's guitar.

Have to say that their initial live performance in Milennium Park (with vandermark and david boykin) bested the disc, but this still does a great job at capturing a tight and interesting ensemble.

BTW - this is only but a shade of the Chicago scene (esp. because Mazurek lives in Brazil). So much going on here, as usual.

[.:.impossible]

I saw Exploding Star Orchestra "rehearsing" during last year's Chicago Jazz Festival with Bill Dixon, but missed the performance.

Most of the time, Bill Dixon was going around the band and thinking of people who stood out in his mind on each musician's respective instrument. They did some improvisational exercises as well, but the majority of the time I was in the hall, they were resting.

I recently picked up the live recording of this group released on Thrill Jockey a few months ago and have only had the chance to listen once. The group is coming at the date from a much different angle than the original piece.

Has anyone been checking this date out? I'll probably listen again today.

[Lazaro Vega]

You mean the pieces with Bill Dixon that have come out? Yes, they're powerful.

[7/4]

The Exploding Star Orchestra...what a great name for a band!

.

[papsrus]

I haven't heard this album, but knowing that I am generally predisposed to this sort of large ensemble creative music, I would love to listen to it, and I'm sure I will someday. However ....

We Are All From Somewhere Else is comprised of 3 distinct sections, and corresponds to a story involving an exploding star, cosmic transformation, a sting ray, the travels of the sting ray, intelligent conversations with electric eels, the destructive power of humans, the death and ascension of sting ray, the transformation of sting ray ghost to flying bird, and the transformation of bird to phoenix to rocket to flying burning matter to a new-born star.

sting ray ---> flying bird ----> phoenix -----> rocket ----> flying burning matter? Seriously? Am I being too critical? Is there supposed to be a larger social commentary here?

Just a thought(s).

Edited October 14, 2008 by papsrus

[.:.impossible]

I hadn't thought twice about that "storyline" paps. I don't think you would even take it into consideration once you had heard the music.

May be an homage to Saturnalia?

[papsrus]

I hadn't thought twice about that "storyline" paps. I don't think you would even take it into consideration once you had heard the music.

May be an homage to Saturnalia?

True 'nuff.

[.:.impossible]

Titles for paps:

Sting Ray And The Beginning Of Time - Part I

Sting Ray And The Beginning Of Time - Part II

Sting Ray And The Beginning Of Time - Part III (Psycho-tropic Electric Eel Dream)

Sting Ray And The Beginning Of Time - Part IV

Black Sun

Cosmic Tomes For Sleep Walking Lovers - Part I

Cosmic Tomes For Sleep Walking Lovers - Part II

Cosmic Tomes For Sleep Walking Lovers - Part III

Cosmic Tomes For Sleep Walking Lovers - Part IV (Fifteen Ways Towards A Finite Universe)

Cosmic Tomes For Sleep Walking Lovers - Part V

[clifford_thornton]

'snice stuff. Think Mazurek has a new one coming out this winter.

That Johnny Herndon sure has gotten good since his Tortoise/etc. days...

[Tom Cat]

for me today was an exploding star orchestra day, i just grabbed the new one yesterday and heard it today after a little bit of exploding star feedback with their first album, i just put it on the highest volume, the sound was great and all my windows and doors were kind of stumbling down...great stuff

here's the new one Stars Have Shapes

released on Delmark

[.:.impossible]

I tried to order this one through my local record shop and it still hasn't come in...

[Guy Berger]

Finally picked this up.  It’s really, really good. Are their other recordings as impressive as this one?

[BFrank]

Don't know that much about them, but been interested for a while. I've seen Rob Mazurek's name on other albums, too

[mjazzg]

4 hours ago, Guy Berger said:

Finally picked this up.  It’s really, really good. Are their other recordings as impressive as this one?

They are all very good to my ears. The more recent are a bit more focussed, some others can sprawl both in numbers of players and time (see Rogue Art 2CD release for example). Having said that one of my favourites is an early one, the first

https://www.discogs.com/master/143927-Exploding-Star-Orchestra-We-Are-All-From-Somewhere-Else

Mazurek is a fascinating artist who I've been following for about 25 years now. He performs his compositions in so many configurations from solo (great when on trumpet, a lot more challenging when solely electronics) up to the ESO. 

[colinmce]

Corbett vs. Dempsey will be releasing an ESO "small unit" CD in the next couple weeks. I assume this is drawn from a CvsD gallery performance last spring that featured Mazurek with Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Tomeka Reid, Damon Locks, Chad Taylor, and Angelica Sanchez:

https://www.dustygroove.com/item/167526/Rob-Mazurek-Exploding-Star-Orchestra-Small-Unit:Spectral-Fiction