Biography
Chicago Underground Duo is an avant‑garde, experimental jazz project centered on cornetist/trumpeter and composer Rob Mazurek and drummer/percussionist and composer Chad Taylor, originating in Chicago, Illinois, in the late 1990s.[1][3][2] The project grew out of a workshop Mazurek founded in 1996 at the Green Mill jazz club called Chicago Underground, created as a laboratory for improvised, forward‑thinking jazz; from that scene, Mazurek and Taylor solidified a core partnership that would operate as Chicago Underground Duo as well as in expanded formats such as the Trio, Quartet and Orchestra.[1][3] Their first recordings under the Chicago Underground name appeared on Delmark Records with the Chicago Underground Orchestra, after which the two continued the concept as a flexible, modular ensemble, eventually releasing multiple Duo albums on labels including Thrill Jockey, Northern Spy, and International Anthem.[1][3][4]
Over nearly three decades, Chicago Underground Duo has become known for collapsing the boundaries between free jazz, experimental electronics, post‑rock and contemporary composition, often producing a sound that feels far larger than its two‑person instrumentation.[2][3][4] Mazurek’s cornet, trumpet and electronics and Taylor’s drums, vibraphone, mbira and other percussion create dense, layered textures that incorporate open improvisation, groove‑oriented passages, noise, and melodic fragments, reflecting the broader Chicago experimental ecosystem that also nurtured figures like Jeff Parker and Sam Prekop.[1][2][6][7] Their work has been central to the identity of the broader Chicago Underground collective, helping define a strand of Chicago “indie jazz” that is both fiercely exploratory and deeply rooted in the city’s improvisational traditions.[1][3][6] As of the mid‑2020s they continue to record and perform, including the 2025 International Anthem release Hyperglyph, underscoring their ongoing influence on younger generations of experimental and free‑jazz musicians.[3][4]
The duo’s legacy lies not only in their own recordings but in the network of collaborations and ensembles their partnership has seeded, from Chicago Underground Trio and Quartet to projects such as São Paulo Underground and Pharaoh and the Underground.[1][3][4] Both Mazurek and Taylor have become important figures in contemporary creative music—Mazurek through his large‑ensemble conceptual works and Taylor through his activities as a composer, bandleader, educator, and collaborator with artists across jazz and indie‑rock worlds—making Chicago Underground Duo a central node in the story of late‑20th and early‑21st century experimental jazz emerging from Chicago and spreading internationally.[3][4][7][8]
Fun Facts
- Chicago Underground Duo grew out of a weekly workshop that Rob Mazurek started at the Green Mill jazz club in 1996, meaning the band essentially began as an open improvisation lab before it became a formal recording project.[1][3]
- Although known as a duo, they have officially appeared under several related names—Chicago Underground Duo, Trio, Quartet, and Orchestra—depending on how many musicians they bring into the project.[1][3]
- Chad Taylor, the duo’s drummer and co‑founder, is originally from Tempe, Arizona, giving the Chicago‑identified project a Southwestern connection in its personnel.[5][8]
- The Duo’s 2025 album Hyperglyph on International Anthem arrived after an eleven‑year gap between duo recordings, even though Mazurek and Taylor continued collaborating intensively in other ensembles during that time.[4]
Members
- Rob Mazurek
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Fred Anderson - Veteran Chicago saxophonist and club owner who supported and played with Chad Taylor, helping shape his improvisational language within the Chicago avant‑garde scene that also nurtured Chicago Underground. (Live performances at Anderson’s Velvet Lounge and other Chicago gigs (pre‑ and early‑Chicago Underground period).) [1990s–2000s]
- Chicago improvising community (Green Mill workshop circle) - Mazurek’s 1996 Chicago Underground workshop at the Green Mill brought together forward‑thinking improvisers; the ethos and practices developed there formed the aesthetic and methodological foundation of Chicago Underground Duo. (Chicago Underground Orchestra (Delmark) and subsequent Chicago Underground Duo/Trio/Quartet recordings.) [1996–early 2000s]
Key Collaborators
- Jeff Parker - Guitarist who was part of the early Chicago Underground ensembles and a core member of Chicago Underground Trio and Quartet alongside Mazurek and Taylor. (Chicago Underground Orchestra (Delmark), Chicago Underground Trio, Chicago Underground Quartet albums including Good Days.) [Late 1990s–2000s and beyond]
- Noel Kupersmith - Bassist in the early Chicago Underground Orchestra and a key member in other Underground configurations, helping define the group’s early sound. (Chicago Underground Orchestra (Delmark) and early Chicago Underground recordings prior to his departure before the 2003 trio recording.) [Late 1990s–early 2000s]
- Pharoah Sanders - Legendary tenor saxophonist who worked with Mazurek and Taylor when they combined Chicago Underground and São Paulo Underground into the project Pharaoh and the Underground. (Live performances as Pharaoh and the Underground (approximately ten shows in Brazil and elsewhere).) [Circa early 2010s (project lasted two to three years)]
- São Paulo Underground - Mazurek’s Brazil‑based ensemble that was combined with Chicago Underground (with Taylor) to create Pharaoh and the Underground, extending the duo’s language into Brazilian and Afro‑diasporic contexts. (Pharaoh and the Underground live performances with Pharoah Sanders.) [Circa early 2010s]
- Sam Prekop - Chicago musician with whom Chad Taylor recorded pop records; their collaboration reflects the crossover between Chicago Underground’s experimental jazz world and the city’s indie/rock scene. (Pop records by Sam Prekop featuring Chad Taylor on drums/percussion.) [Late 1990s–2000s]
Artists Influenced
- Younger Chicago experimental and indie‑jazz musicians (e.g., Makaya McCraven circle) - Chicago Underground’s approach to modular ensembles, electronics, and free improvisation has become part of the city’s experimental jazz DNA, influencing later artists associated with forward‑thinking Chicago scenes; this is reflected in the way newer artists are described as working in a tradition that includes Mazurek, Taylor, and their peers. (Subsequent Chicago Underground Quartet projects with players like Josh Johnson, who also works with Makaya McCraven and Jeff Parker, illustrating generational continuity.) [2010s–2020s]
Connection Network
External Links
Tags: #jazz, #jazz-and-blues
References
Heard on WWOZ
Chicago Underground Duo has been played 3 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 8, 2026 | 07:31 | Hemiunufrom Hyperglyph | The Morning Setw/ Scott Borne | |
| Oct 7, 2025 | 16:46 | hemiunufrom hyperglyph | Jazz from Jax Breweryw/ T.R. Johnson | |
| Sep 30, 2025 | 17:10 | hyperglyphfrom hyperglyph | Jazz from Jax Breweryw/ T.R. Johnson |