Label: International Anthem, 2023
Personnel - Rob Mazurek: trumpet, electronic treatments, voice; Jeff Parker: guitar; Craig Taborn: wurlitzer, moog; Angelica Sanchez: piano, wurlitzer, moog; Damon Locks: voice, electronics, samples; Gerald Cleaver: drums + Guests: Mauricio Takara: percussion, electronic percussion (#1); Cathlene Pineda: synth bass (#1).
For this new outing on the International Anthem label, the trumpeter, composer and interdisciplinary artist Rob Mazurek leads a reduced version of his acclaimed, cosmically-minded Exploding Star Orchestra.
The follow-up to the amazing Dimensional Stardust, one of the best records of 2020, is called Lightning Dreamers. Even if not as big in sound, it rises to the occasion with an instrumentation that feels infectiously alive. Imagine an avant-garde setting with electronic fusions and buoyant psychedelic funk. This is how the CD begins, with “Future Shaman”. Gerald Cleaver emulates a trap beat that calls for Mauricio Takara’s percussive qualities. Also guesting here is Cathlene Pineda who guarantees playful synth bass riffery throughout. Mighty keyboardists Craig Taborn and Angelica Sanchez, guitarist Jeff Parker (with a highly refracted solo), and Mazurek on trumpet claim individual spotlights.
The recording is a dedication to the recently departed trumpeter Jaimie Branch, whose sound can be heard in the beautifully designed “Black River”, a 14-minute epic that incorporates samples of the full-fledged Orchestra recorded live in Paris in 2022. Under a shamanic spell, the flute of Nicole Mitchell wanders, the drummers are ferociously interlocked, and the keyboardists toggle between pneumatic and combative. It's a horde of sounds of the earth and the extramundane that ends with a psychedelic rock note, akin to Primal Scream and Deep Purple. This piece is a tribute to Rio Negro in Manaus, Brazil, where Mazurek lived for three years. In that city, this river intersects with “White River”, which flowing rubato, features Parker with his own guitaristic looser style of performance.
Sometimes we have the sense of being traveling the unknown, and “Shape Shifter” makes us land on three different planets that complement themselves. “Dream Sleeper” has Mazurek’s trumpetism providing initial fuel, after which it’s Damon Locks’ words that cross the taut but resplendent orchestration. Buckle up for a sonic trip that seeks new ground at every turn.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Future Shaman ► 03 - Shape Shifter ► 04 - Black River