Rob Mazurek

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Rob Mazurek (born 1965) is an American composer, cornetist, and visual artist known for his adventurous jazz and experimental music. Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, he grew up in Naperville, Illinois, and studied jazz theory at the Bloom School of Jazz in Chicago. He played with local musicians and helped found the Chicago Underground Collective in 1996 with Jeff Parker and Chad Taylor, a flexible group that helped him gain attention in Chicago’s underground scene. While living in Brazil from 2000 to 2005, he created soundscapes from Amazonian sounds and Brazilian storms. In 2005 he started the Exploding Star Orchestra to explore avant-garde Chicago music, and he leads several other ensembles including São Paulo Underground, Pharaoh and the Underground, Pulsar Quartet, and Chicago Underground.

Mazurek has collaborated with many artists such as Bill Dixon, Pharoah Sanders, Roscoe Mitchell, Yusef Lateef, Naná Vasconcelos, and Mamelo Sound System. He has written more than 300 original compositions and released over 55 recordings on labels like Aesthetics, Cuneiform, Delmark, Thrill Jockey, and Infinity Dogs. His solo work combines cornet with electronics and prepared sounds, reflecting his interest in musique concrète. He has received commissions and grants, including a 2016 Graham Foundation grant for an experimental film The Farnsworth Scores, and multiple festival commissions in Europe. In addition to music, Mazurek is a visual artist whose multimedia works have been shown around the world.