The Story Behind
Chicago Odense Ensemble is a unique collaboration that came together in the winter of 2008 while danish musicians Jonas Munk and Jakob Skøtt stayed in Chicago. Through mutual friends a studio session was arranged for the two to improvise and lay down ideas with some of Chicagos finest improvisers, including members of Tortoise and Chicago Underground Collective.
Improvisation is not unfamiliar to the two danes, however, as they are more than accustomed to working from spontaneity and freeform structures in psych/kraut/prog unit Causa Sui in their hometown of Odense. During the Chicago studio session hours of loose ideas, grooves and atmospherics were recorded, ranging from loud, intense musical outbursts led by cornetist Rob Mazurek, to delicate, colourful ambiences.
Later, the finest moments were edited, re-arranged and mixed by Jonas Munk in his studio in Odense, doing a great deal of cutting and pasting, and adding an occasional dreamy and dubby vibe to the soundscape. The result is something quite unique: a musical blend that exists somewhere in between the aesthetics of impro jazz, hypnotic rock and electronica. The closest reference for this kind of music is probably early 1970s proto-fusion jazz that strived for a similar synthesis of jazz improvisation, psychedelic rock, eastern and african sounds and the use of the studio as a musical tool instead of merely a recording facility.
Conceptually this album therefore seems more related to Miles Davis' ventures into electric music in the late 1960s that culminated in the early 1970s with albums such as "Live Evil", where improvisational jazz meets funk, psych and percussion driven world music. Even though Chicago Odense Ensemble is undeniably modern sounding in some ways, it also reaches back to an era in music where the fusion of jazz and elements of rock were still regarded with optimism, and where musical spontaneity and freedom seemed a vehicle for cosmic beauty rather than esoteric formalism.
Rob Mazurek
is a sound/vision abstractivist, cornetist, improviser, composer and multi-media artist with a unique style drawing from many facets of contemporary and non-contemporary sound and vision. A prime mover in the vibrant Chicago sound scene, he is the leader/organizer of the Exploding Star Orchestra, Chicago Underground collective, Mandarin Movie and Sao Paulo Underground. He has collaborated and/or recorded with Bill Dixon, Jim O'Rourke, Fred Hopkins, Luc Ferrari, Gastr del Sol, Noamnesia, Isotope 217, Tortoise and Stereolab among others.
Jeff Parker
is also a central figure in the experimental Chicago scene, being a key member of Tortoise for more than 12 years, as well as leading his own group, being a member of jazz-rock outfit Isotope 217, Chicago Underground Trio, as well as adding his signature guitar style to many other bands.
Dan Bitney
is a multi-instrumentalist and founding member of Tortoise as well as being part of Isotope 217. He is known for his characteristic and easily recognisable drumming and percussion style.
Brian Keigher
has been a mainman of the Chicago scene for years: percussionist, dj, label owner and concert booker. He's also the main force behind the formation of Chicago Odense Ensemble.
Matt Lux
is a veteran of Chicago's Funk scene, and has played with numerous notable groups in Chicago in the 1990s, though most of them unreleased. He has also played bass for Smog and Exploding Star Orchestra among others, and is currently a member of Isotope 217 and Iron & Wine's live lineup.
Jonas Munk
is from Odense, Denmark and has been active as guitar player in different groups over the years with musical partner Jakob Skøtt; first in instrumental rock outfit Limp who released an album on German label Morr Music, and later in psych/kraut unit Causa Sui who have created a name for themselves in the European psych-rock circuit. He has also undertaken production work for a number of bands and artists and have released solo ambient electronica albums in both Europe and the US under the name Manual.
Jakob Skøtt
is a drummer from Odense, Denmark who has played in different groups with Jonas Munk over the years, most recently in psych/kraut outfit Causa Sui. He also creates electronic music on his own and has released albums on labels such as Darla and Ghostly International, as well as doing graphic design work and visual art.
Visit Adluna Records Website to find releases with Rob Mazurek, Jeff Parker, Doug Scharin, Bill Laswell, Bernie Worrell, Garrett Devoe, Shahzad Ismaily.