Flamethrower (album)

Flamethrower
Studio album by
Chicago Underground Trio
ReleasedAugust 15, 2000
RecordedMarch 11, 12 & 13, 2000
StudioRiverside Studio, Chicago, IL
GenreJazz
Length65:00
LabelDelmark
DE-521
ProducerSteve Krasinsky, Rob Mazurek, Chad Taylor, Noel Kupersmith, Bundy K. Brown
Chicago Underground Trio chronology
Possible Cube
(1999) 		Flamethrower
(2000) 		Slon
(2004)
Rob Mazurek chronology
Commander Mindfuck Designer
(1999) 		Flamethrower
(2000) 		Synesthesia
(2000)

Flamethrower is an album by Chicago Underground Trio which was recorded in 2000 and released on the Delmark label.[1][2][3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]

In his review for AllMusic, Alex Henderson states: "Flamethrower is a generally enjoyable, if imperfect, avant-garde jazz date. Outside playing is dominant, and the influence of Chicago's AACM is strong throughout the CD. ... This isn't an album that one can easily absorb on the first listen, but after playing Flamethrower several times, the listener finds more and more to like about this music. Despite its imperfections, Flamethrower is worth picking up if you're an admirer of AACM-style jazz".[4]

Christopher Porter of JazzTimes wrote: "Flamethrower demonstrates the Underground at its cerebral best: free-floating, quietly melodic, modal-based jazz... While his broad tone doesn't recall Miles Davis' pinched sound, Mazurek does share with the Prince of Darkness a fondness for sad melodies and electronics: Interludes using electronic tonalities separate some of Flamethrower's tunes."[5]

Writing for All About Jazz, Derek Taylor commented: "the interplay here between the four players often operates at peak levels. Mazurek's ferrous cornet negotiates tightly packed ensemble sections and skeletally spaced solo interludes with equal facility... Each member of the group seems equally adept alone or in concert."[6] Another AAJ reviewer remarked: "Flamethrower is creative work at the edge of the in & out continuum—music that requires the listener to pay attention and participate."[7]

In an article for One Final Note, Scott Hreha wrote: "Flamethrower is an excellent disc from start to finish. Though they ought to be careful—a few more recordings like this one and the 'Underground' of their name will shift from accuracy to irony."[8]

Track listing

All compositions by Chicago Underground Trio except where noted

  1. "Quail" (Rob Mazurek) − 4:43
  2. "Fahrenheit 451" − 1:56
  3. "Warm Marsh" (Mazurek) − 5:40
  4. "Antiquity" − 5:07
  5. "Flamethrower" (Jeff Parker) − 2:33
  6. "Woman in Motion" (Mazurek) − 6:16
  7. "Triceptikon" − 3:02
  8. "A Lesson Earned" (Chad Taylor) − 8:51
  9. "Arcweld" (Mazurek) − 2:10
  10. "Elroy" (Parker) − 0:47
  11. "Number 19" − 11:21
  12. "504" (Noel Kupersmith) − 2:17
  13. "The Tungflec Treaty" − 5:25
  14. "The World Has Changed" − 3:20
  15. "Elray" (Parker) − 1:00

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Rob Mazurek discography, accessed October 29, 2018
  2. ^ Delmark Records: album details, accessed October 29
  3. ^ Jazzlists: Delmark Records discography: 500 series, accessed October 29, 2019
  4. ^ a b Henderson, Alex. Chicago Underground Trio – Flamethrower: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  5. ^ Porter, Christopher (December 1, 2000). "The Chicago Underground Trio: Flamethrower". JazzTimes. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  6. ^ Taylor, Derek (October 1, 2000). "Chicago Underground Trio: Flamethrower". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Staff, AAJ (October 1, 2000). "Chicago Underground Trio: Flamethrower". All About Jazz. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Hreha, Scott (September 2000). "Chicago Underground Trio: Flamethrower". One Final Note. Retrieved January 22, 2023.