Label: Nonesuch, 2020
Personnel - Rob Mazurek: piccolo trumpet, electronic renderings, modular synth; Damon Locks: voice, electronics; Nicole Mitchell: flutes; Macie Stewart: violin; Tomeka Reid: cello; Joel Ross: vibraphone; Jeff Parker: guitar; Jaimie Branch: trumpet; Angelica Sanchez: acoustic and electric pianos; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten: bass; Chad Taylor: drums, percussion; Mikel Patrick Avery: drums, percussion; John Herndon: drum machines.
Trumpeter/composer Rob Mazurek from Chicago wrote and arranged the 10 pieces on his rewarding new album, Dimensional Stardust, to be tackled by the remodeled Exploding Star Orchestra, whose incredibly talented members include vibraphonist Joel Ross, guitarist Jeff Parker, cellist Tomeka Reid, and flutist Nicole Mitchell, just to name a few. In preference to individuality, the work relies on a collective effort that spins a bit of Sun Ra heliocentrism, jazz-hop, modern composition via Morton Feldman influence, and sometimes traces of acid jazz, in a cross-genre approach that defies categorization.
“Sun Core Tet (Parable 99)” is served with a Sun Ra-style dressing and comes garnished with conspicuous accentuations in the melody, classical chamber overtones and motivating percussive grooves, virtue of Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Chad Taylor. Mosaics of flute overfly the balmy harmonies weaved by vibraphone and synth, aptly plucked strings coexist with muted trumpet... all lend a hand to the almost surrealistic interplay that also defines the irresistible “A Wrinkle in Time Sets Concentric Circles Reeling”.
The ghost of Sun Ra also appears on “Parable 3000”, a slightly epic journey into diversity delivered with an ancient feel, imperial shouts and a confident posture. “Galaxy 1000”, in turn, incorporates exuberant chants and makes us tap our feet to an elementary rhythm later adorned with bright hi-hat.
Unequivocally one of the best numbers on the album, “The Careening Prism Within” lends itself to hip-hop with the jazz as a close companion, in the line of Guru and Gang Starr, but upraised at some point by Parker’s dirty, dial-toned guitar sounds and ostinatos.
The penchant for sophisticated eclectic moods continues with the blissed-out “Parable of Inclusion” and the elliptical title cut, “Dimensional Stardust”. While the former shapes up as a percolating dance with circular trajectories, Eastern-tinged undercurrents and the melodic intertwining of Mazurek and Jaimie Brunch's trumpets, the latter piece is configured with moderate tension and a perfectly outlined melodic idea that repeats throughout. Before completion, Taylor’s busy snare drum gains even more significance, following a break in the rhythmic flow.
Damon Locks’ spoken word is particularly attractive on “Autumn Pleiades”, the composition that wraps up the album. Here, the regular boom-bap beat and the surrounding density marked by string instruments suggesting a mix of classical and Eastern languages serve as a launching pad for a crescendo that runs toward a suspended denouement.
Commanding the Exploding Star Orchestra with self-assurance, Mazurek casts a spell with a quietly triumphing recording that leaves its mark. This sui generis body of work deserves praise.
Grade A
Favorite Tracks:
02 - A Wrinkle in Time Sets Concentric Circles Reeling ► 04 -The Careening Prism Within ► 09 - Parable 3000