International Anthem has released a new live album from interdisciplinary artist, composer, and bandleader Rob Mazurek and a nine-piece iteration of his long-running Exploding Star Orchestra (ESO). The album is now available on all digital platforms today here and follows last month’s release of the limited deluxe LP, CD and digital download.

With Mazurek (on trumpet) leading ESO regulars Nicole Mitchell (flute), Damon Locks (vocals), Tomeka Reid (cello), Craig Taborn (keys), Angelica Sanchez (keys), Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), Gerald Cleaver and Chad Taylor (drums), the album captures the ensemble in a special one-off performance underneath the dome of the Grainger Sky Theater in Chicago’s iconic Adler Planetarium.

A staple of Chicago’s downtown lakeshore since 1930, the Adler Planetarium is not only the first and oldest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, but it has actually played host to a live album recording at least once in the past – notably, Kelan Phil Cohran & Legacy’s legendary 1993 record African Skies. Mazurek and ESO join that tradition proudly and potently with this document, which was co-produced by Chicago institutions Experimental Sound Studio and International Anthem.

A full album-length concert film for Live at the Adler Planetarium was also created by director Brian Ashby (known for his work on Charles Stepney: Out of the Shadows) that beautifully captures the spectacle of the event, which featured ESO performing underneath large, kaleidoscopic projections of Mazurek’s abstract visual art on the dome screen of the Grainger Sky Theater.

Live at the Adler Planetarium in physical form comes on deluxe limited edition vinyl LP and CD, inside a shiny, reflective metallic silver foil jacket, with images from the performance taken by Ashby, Alejandro Ayala, and Alex Inglizian. Liner notes included with the package are taken from music writer Bill Meyer’s review of the performance originally published by Magnet Magazine in March of 2023.

Personnel:

Rob Mazurek – director, trumpets, bells, voice, compositions
Nicole Mitchell – flute, voice, electronics
Damon Locks – voice, samplers, electronics
Tomeka Reid – cello, electronics
Craig Taborn – wurlitzer electric piano, moog, electronics
Angelica Sanchez – wurlitzer electric piano, moog
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – bass
Chad Taylor – drums
Gerald Cleaver – drums