12 Degrees of Freedom

Chicago Underground Duo | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• Original Release Date: December 1, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thrill Jockey
• ASIN: B00000DF6U
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #61,276 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yes, it's free jazz, June 10, 2008

By 

Anthony Cooper (Louisville, KY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 12 Degrees of Freedom (Audio CD)

"12 Degrees Of Freedom" can be called "early Chicago Underground" because this, "Possible Cube", and "Flamethrower" are very free and minimal. I begin to like the Chicago Underground better with "Synethesia" and all of the other CD's that came out since then. The early stuff is too abstract for my tastes. The freedom of songs like "The Pursued" may be steak and potatoes for some people, but not for me. "Not Quite Dark..." is minimal, with piano, vibes, and a little guitar sneaking in. "January 15th" is the longest, and best, song on the CD. It starts with a sample of Martin Luther King's "We Shall Overcome" speech and a Chad Taylor drumbeat. When Rob Mazurek comes in, his trumpet playing has a recurring motif. Mazurek comes in and out, but Taylor's steady pulse is there throughout. "The Big Bang Theory" and "Waiting For You..." are minimalist. Mazurek plays free trumpet over Taylor's floor tom rolls on the title track. "Lemon Grass" has a little more Jeff Parker playing guitar, and "Gratitude" is also minimal. I recommend this CD to fans of the earlier-style of Chicago Underground - people who like the later, more post-rock-influenced Chicago Underground may want to be more cautious.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a minimal language, July 3, 2001

By 

"frakiliprulil" (venezuela) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 12 Degrees of Freedom (Audio CD)

this is the most important album of CUD.Almost, the feeling and the imagination in this record is a infinite expierence, based in the IMPROVISATION,i believe that, A CAN FEEL IT !!!!.LEMON GRASS,12 degrees of freedom and the pursued, beautiful songs that shows a minimal sound, combinated with spaces of nothingness.you can hear a VOID and feel your room like that! nothing? but the duo is great!

5.0 out of 5 stars Underground No More ( And Not Chicago Either), November 1, 2002

By 

Christopher Forbes "weirdears" (Brooklyn,, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 12 Degrees of Freedom (Audio CD)

Sad to say, the Chicago Underground Duo is no longer...Rob Manzurek has moved on to "greener pastures" in New York I think. It is becoming something of a Chicago cliche...record and record and record, establish a reputation, and then move! This is our loss here in the Windy City because the Underground Duo was certainly a great improv group.

This recording is my favorite of this band. Less indebted to electronica, most of this album is just Manzurek on coronet and Taylor on either drums or vibes. The atmosphere on the disc is open and spacious. This is not "blow your socks off" energy jazz. Rather it is moody and thoughtful, reminisent of Don Cherry and Ed Blackwell's classic duo Mu. At times, Manzurek can sound almost like Miles in his early jazz rock days. At other times you can hear the Duo's origins in traditional bop. But mostly the album is unlike any other free improvised music, at least here in Chicago. It has heart and a brain and is endlessly fascinating to hear.

In a town where free music is increasingly dominated by imitators of Ken Vandermark, at least on the North Side, it was refreshing to hear something based on a different aesthetic. Here's wishing Rob Manzurek luck in New York. And at least we have this lovely CD.