Rob Mazurek

About

Also known as: Robert Mazurek

Rob Mazurek plays cornet the way some people conduct orchestras and paint canvases simultaneously, which is basically what he does. A Jersey City native who built his reputation in Chicago's underground scene, he founded the Chicago Underground Collective in 1996 with Jeff Parker and Chad Taylor, pulling in collaborators like Tortoise, Stereolab, and Jim O'Rourke along the way. A five year stretch living in Brazil led to a whole new chapter, with Mazurek recording electric eels at an Amazonian research lab and building soundscapes from storm systems near Brasília, eventually forming the São Paulo Underground with Mauricio Takara and Guilherme Granado. His Exploding Star Orchestra, launched in 2005, has premiered sweeping suites with titles like 63 Moons of Jupiter and Cosmic Tomes for Sleepwalking Lovers. With over 300 compositions and at least 55 recordings across labels including Thrill Jockey, Delmark, and his own Infinity Dogs, Mazurek keeps a remarkable number of ensembles running at once, each with its own personality. His solo work dives into musique concrete and electronic sound manipulation, and he also shows paintings and multimedia installations at venues from Houston's Rothko Chapel to galleries across France.