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| If you frequented Rainbo Club in the mid-’90s, you likely came across the weekly soirées of Isotope 217, a collection of talented locals that experimented with electro-acoustic improvisations. The group was comprised of many powerhouse players: cornet player and composer Rob Mazurek (Exploding Star Orchestra), former Chicago trombonist Sara P. Smith (Chicago Underground Orchestra) and three members of Tortoise—guitarist Jeff Parker, multi-instrumentalist Dan Bitney and percussionist John Herndon. The regular performances eventually morphed into workshops, which were open to the public and led to sketches and compositions.
Three albums followed on Thrill Jockey—filled with both melodic compositions and non-harmonic improv—that showcased a wide range of atmospheric, down-tempo jazz and post-rock. The group’s last release was issued in 2000, and its members have moved onto countless other projects. Mazurek spends much time abroad—in Brazil, Japan and Europe—so performances are extremely rare, but the group still appears for special events, such as the 30th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival. Elements of Isotope 217’s sound mirror aspects of its related groups, but nonetheless, the band retains an important stylistic fusion, bridging genres as well as structure and freeform. (Scott Morrow)
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