Collection: Chicago Underground Duo

Cornetist Rob Mazurek and drummer Chad Taylor formed Chicago Underground Duo in 1997 as an outgrowth of Mazurek's weekly workshops at Chicago's legendary Green Mill Cocktail Lounge. Their debut 12 Degrees of Freedom, recorded live at the Lunar Cabaret on a snowy January night, established their moody, spacious approach to improvisation, drawing comparisons to Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell's classic duo Mu. The pair meld free jazz with electronics, African rhythms, ambient textures, and techno influences, creating what they describe as "an organic mixture" that defies easy categorisation.

Across albums like Synesthesia (2000), Axis and Alignment (2002), and Locus (2014), the duo expanded beyond cornet and drums to incorporate vibraphone, mbira, balophone, bamboo flute, Game Boy, and extensive electronics, seamlessly fusing jazz and electronica in groundbreaking ways. Part of Chicago's fertile experimental scene alongside Tortoise and Isotope 217, they also perform as Trio, Quartet, or Orchestra with rotating personnel including guitarist Jeff Parker. After a hiatus following 2014's Locus, Taylor and Mazurek reactivated the duo in 2024, returning with Hyperglyph (2025) on International Anthem, nodding to influences from AACM composers and Miles Davis's electric period.