Chicago Underground Quartet
Chicago Underground Quartet
[Thrill Jockey]
Rating: 7.4
My brother turned me on to jazz in the mid-80's. At that time, many classic
records were out of print and just starting to be issued on CD. Columbia
had the most distinguished catalog, with Miles Davis, the Armstrong Hot
Fives and Sevens, all the early Billie Holiday, some Duke, the most popular
Monk, and Dave Brubeck, to name just a few. One by one, Columbia reissued
the old records on CD as part of the "Columbia Jazz Masterpieces" series,
complete with new artwork, digital remastering and, in some cases (like
Miles Ahead), radical remixing. I remember reading the promo material
in the CD booklets and getting excited about what was going to be reissued
next.
Another Columbia artist was Wynton Marsalis. When I first began listening to
jazz, Wynton was creating high-profile records of his own. At that time, his
quintet included his brother Branford and was heavily indebted to the Wayne
Shorter/Herbie Hancock lineup of Miles Davis' quintet. I liked some of those
mid-80's Marsalis records. Black Codes from the Underground, in
particular, still stands as a powerful statement.
While he was making this music, Wynton was just hitting his stride as a
tastemaker. Along with critic pal Stanley Crouch, he was telling the world
that this music was the greatest form since the demise of symphonic music,
but that only a narrow slice of what was being marketed as "jazz" actually
deserved the appellation. To him, the biggest imposter was electrified
fusion.
Now, I admit I was an impressionable teen. Wynton, Crouch and my brother all
told me "fusion sucks," and I never thought to question their judgment. Any
jazz with electric instruments, with the possible exception of In a Silent
Way, was to be avoided at all costs. That was the Chuck Mangione shit.
Fuck that.
Forgive me, Miles, for I knew not what I did. It took me another ten years
to figure out that there was some great electrified jazz floating around.
And now I find music that blends jazz with textures from other music more
interesting than the "real thing." Like the last Isotope 217 album. Or this
new one by the Chicago Underground Quartet.
Like Isotope, the Chicago Underground in its various numerical configurations
is an adventurous fusion unit fronted by cornet player Rob Mazurek. The other
constant is drummer/vibraphonist Chad Taylor. This edition also includes the
guitar of Jeff Parker (of Isotope and Tortoise), in addition to the old
standby Noel Kupersmith (now also a member of Brokeback) on bass. With so
many musicians on loan from such familiar bands, the Chicago Underground
Quartet is bound to sound a bit, well, familiar. And it does. This is
definitely the kind of tech-tweaked instrumental music that Chicago has been
specializing in for close to a decade. But the tweaks are subtle, and this
is such a low key, unassuming and melodic record that it still sounds very
fresh to my ears.
Jeff Parker opens the album on "Tunnel Chrome" with a deftly plucked guitar
pattern that recalls the opening chords to "Night in Tunisia." Taylor doubles
up on both drums and vibes, and Mazurek adds some heavily processed horn
(he's also credited on the album sleeve with "electronics") that has a very
guitar-like tonality. His processing gives the piece, which is very
straightforward post-bop jazz, a bit of an otherworldly flavor.
In addition to Parker's lovely guitar playing throughout, these less
traditional flourishes are what make this record interesting. "Three
in the Morning" begins with a gorgeous guitar lead that soon dissolves
into delicate phase-shifts and backward harmonies as Mazurek's cornet
states the theme. "Four in the Morning" sounds all the world like a ballad
off of Miles Davis Cookin', with Mazurek on Harmon mute. But
Taylor's brushwork is so robotic it sounds like a Pro-Tools loop (which I
suppose it might actually be). There's no thought of adding an offbeat
accent to this brief song, which gives a whiff of the technology involved
in the recording.
This restrained approach is the order of the day for the Chicago Underground
Quartet, and only occasionally do they cut loose and blow. On the flowing,
impressionistic "Welcome" (not the Coltrane tune), Parker adds some distortion
to his guitar and Mazurek goes into gospelized Donald Ayler mode, sounding
like he's gearing up for a march. It's a welcome change of pace, but the mood
here tends toward the controlled, thoughtful and expressive. While this is
nothing like the full-blown electronic love-in that was the last Isotope
record, the Chicago Underground Quartet know how to integrate technology into
their distinctive jazz sound. It's a fusion of some kind-- I'm sure of that--
so Wynton would not approve. But I'd call it a worthy extension of the
tradition.
-Mark Richard-San