In marked contrast to the wide range of electro-acoustic compositional and improvisational possibilities inherent in his
Exploding Star Orchestra large ensemble, Chicago cornetist
Rob Mazurek chose an intimate, stripped-down setting for the
Starlicker trio, which debuted with
Double Demon on the Delmark label in 2011.
Mazurek combined forces with two
Exploding Star Orchestra members, vibraphonist
Jason Adasiewicz and drummer
John Herndon (also of
Tortoise), for an entirely acoustic date drawing from avant-garde jazz, post-bop, and more.
Starlicker's bass-less format forces the group members to upend and reinvent certain jazz trio traditions (particularly the soloist-accompanist roles between
Mazurek and
Adasiewicz), necessitating an unconventional approach to composing and arranging with parallels in New York trumpeter
Dave Douglas'
Tiny Bell Trio of the 1990s (without the Balkan influence and with altogether different atmospherics provided by
Adasiewicz's vibes). The same year as
Double Demon's release,
Mazurek hauled
Adasiewicz and
Herndon (and
Exploding Star Orchestra flutist
Nicole Mitchell) down to his second home of São Paulo, Brazil to complete the lineup of
the Rob Mazurek Octet -- described as a merger of
Starlicker and
São Paulo Underground -- and record the live album
Skull Sessions, released by
Cuneiform in 2013. ~ Dave Lynch