Jun 30, 2023
On today's episode, I talk to musician and composer Rob Mazurek.
Originally from Jersey City, Rob started playing trumpet and cornet
in high school after his family moved to Naperville, Illinois. He
first learned the foundations of improvised music while studying
jazz theory and practice with David Bloom at the Bloom School of
Jazz in Chicago, and then became a mainstay of Chicago jazz in the
1980s. In 1994, Rob formed the Chicago Underground Collective with
guitarist Jeff Parker and a cast of revolving players, which in
turn birthed Isotope 217, both groups releasing albums on the
seminal label Thrill Jockey. In the decades since then, Rob founded
the Exploding Star Orchestra, has earned numerous commissions and
awards, and in general has created more music and art than a short
bio can properly elucidate. Earlier this spring, Rob's most recent
work for Exploding Star Orchestra, Lightning Dreamers, was released
on International Anthem, and like everything else Rob creates, it's
wonderful!
This is the
website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts,
follow me on Twitter. Check out my free
philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple
months here and my old
casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy
podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be
found here!