Chicago, Chicago: So Good They Named it Twice

Chicago Underground Duo/Isotope 217.  Metro Café, Washington DC.  20 January, 2001

Lob/Chicago Underground Duo.  The Spitz, Commercial Lane, Spitalfields, London, E1.  24 May, 2001

A contrast of gigs:

Washington DC in January can be no less hospitable than Greenland.  The wind can blow and ice can bring down power lines and make life for bureaucrats and lawyers alike miserable.  But, normally DC just braces itself for the storm that never comes.  This January day was, however, a day when a real storm was impending.  Snow flurries filled the evening sky.  Trudging from Dupont to 16^th Street was distinctly arctic.  Forecasters fell over themselves as to when the precipitation would turn solid.

But, for now the most important issue was getting into the Metro Café.  Half an hour before doors there seemed no life in the place.  A handwritten sign forbade entrance.  There was, it told, an event in progress within.  Okay, so J and I decamped to DC’s camp-est bars across the street.  Written several months, miles and degrees further on I can still vividly picture the interior.  There was a gaggle of regulars dispersed around the bar, including a guy next to me who I was sure would either try to pick me up or would throw up.  Fortunately there was no eruption of any sort.  On the TV, the last minutes of Psycho was playing out.  (I think Anthony Perkins was gay.)

Back at the Metro, we had to wait a further 15 minutes or so for patrons to exit.  The punters for the gig squeezed through the door into a cozy L-shaped space with a scattering of barstools and chairs.  As the venue filled up the manager told those on the chairs that they would have to stand up because they were violating the fire code.  J and I were, thankfully, at the bar.

Thanks to the previous event, it took a while to set up for the gig.  Eventually, Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor were ready and the Chicago Underground Duo kicked off with the space jazz cracker “Blue Sparks from Her, and the Scent of Lighning” from Synethesia.  It starts with a squabbling of electronics – the kind you imagine in a 50s sci-fi movie.  Taylor adds in a vibe riff.  The two play back and forth.  A strong bassline emerges from the box of tricks and it builds into a wild celebration with Mazurek blasting through the cosmos with abandon.

This was a remarkable set.  Prior to the gig, I admit that I’d struggled a bit with the back catalogue.  Tonight it all came together.

Chicago is well known as a melting pot of musical styles and movements.  Geography has played a huge role as it stands (like St Louis and Kansas City, the other “homes of jazz and the blues”) as a staging post for travel west.  Today Chicago is the home of a loose association of innovative yet eclectic musicians.  One of those is cornetist Mazurek.  Several years back he linked up with Taylor linked or a member of or … I don’t’ know… to the American Association for Creative Music.  Taylor is a unique percussionist.  He throws beats about like throwing playing cards on the floor.  They zoom this way and that.

Taylor forms one half of the Chicago Underground Duo, though occasionally one-third when Sam Prekop, from the Sea and Cake, sits in.  When Noel Kupermsith joins on bass, he is one-third of the Trio, except when Jeff Parker joins in when he is one-quarter.  Then, on occasion, Mazurek rounds up some others to form the Chicago Underground Orchestra.  And, I here of the plans for a Quartet.  Ye Gods.

As a Duo tonight, the two worked carefully through Synethesia with its underground electronics engineered on stage by Mazurek adding both rhythm and substance.  The interplay between cornet, drums, vibes (Taylor uses vibes as part of an extended drum kit) and electronics play off each other, meld together.  Watching the snow outside, the music matched the mood: cool yet beautiful.  In fact, it was at moments spellbinding.

Like most of the Chicago group, Mazurek turns up for several outfits.  And so it was on this night as he hung around for his other main gig, Isotope 217.  Much funkier, much more driven, Isotope takes neo-bop to the edge, but at the same time drags itself closer to rock territories explored by that other Chicago combo, Tortoise.  No surprise then that three members of Tortoise play for Isotope – Johnny Herndon, Dan Bitney and Jeff Parker (another AACM alumnus).  It became evident this night that much of Isotope’s circular rhythms, melodies and beats revolve around Parker’s “classic” jazz guitar work.  The Metro, not your most sophisticated DC club, could barely contain this excellent set.  Herndon brought the tone down with unexpected vocals in a bizarre punk influenced encore – sorry don’t know the song.

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So to East London on a balmy (by East London standards) May evening.  Spitz: a small chichi bar within the old Spitalfields market building.  Downstairs, there’s a small bar, tables (mostly empty this night) for diners and a small patio opening out on the market (packed).  The venue is upstairs.  It’s a converted loft with an upper area reserved for the artists though not closed off from the stage, bar and audience below.

Plenty of space in front of the stage for punters to mingle and tables and chairs too.  Cool.

Lob provided spacy jazz for 40 minutes or so to kick off.  The cooling fans kicked off, we got dripping electronics, fully reverbed flute, basso ostinato, off kilter but sparing drums, scatterings on trumpet/guitar and neo-bop sax.  Each movement segued to the next.  Each movement built up and drifted off somewhere else.  Each movement was nice and relaxing, but in an engaging sort of way.  Impressive.

Again, Mazurek and Taylor drew from Synethesia for most of the set.  But, it was clear from long touring of the material that both players have added tweaks and the occasional improvisation to the carefully structured tracks.  It was a hot night and Mazurek in particular seemed to match the atmosphere.

At times, you could hear the audience, in silence, take a collective breath as the Duo gracefully, tenderly even, brushed out delicate compositions.

After a solid set, the two came back for a splendid encore featuring first manipulated electronics then Mazurek painting delicately with his horn.  Nice chops.  The three pints of Kronenbourg were pretty good too.

Addendum: I was intrigued by the music played between sets.  I surmised it was Brazilian.  Lo and behold, I read that Mazurek is married to a Brazilian.  Earlier, it had puzzled me that Mazurek had dedicated one of his earlier platters to “his Brazilian family”, now it made sense.  Furthermore, I believe “Blue Sparks…” is part attributed to a Brazilian composer, but I might be wrong.

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