For a musician so indelibly linked to the Chicago avant music scene, it perhaps seems odd that one of the best places to start investigating the work of cornetist Rob Mazurek is an album rooted in São Paulo, over 5,000 miles to the southeast of the Windy City. But indeed, São Paulo Underground's Tres Cabeças Loucuras, released by Cuneiform in 2011, is one of Mazurek's most engaging efforts, readily accessible to listeners of many persuasions with just the right amount of exploratory avant-gardisms to satisfy those with an adventurous streak. Mazurek lived in Brazil from 2000 to 2005 but São Paulo Underground, a duo pairing him with percussionist Mauricio Takara, didn't arrive on disc until 2006's Sauna: Um, Dois, Tres on the Aesthetics label. An avant take on tropicalia, this opening salvo put an intriguing spin on some of Mazurek's signature sounds, including the muted late-night electronica of Isotope 217 as well as his Chicago Underground groups, with tracks ranging from abstract sound collage to rhythmic grooving, sometimes with a loose jamming quality and murky sonics. Two years later keyboardist Guilherme Granado and drummer Richard Ribeiro transformed the duo into a quartet for The Principle of Intrusive Relationships, also released by Aesthetics, and the group's deep dubby modus operandi remained intact. With Tres Cabeças Loucuras, São Paulo Underground have emerged into the daylight.

1		Jagoda's Dream
2		Pigeon
3		Carambola
4		Colibri
5		Just Lovin' (feat. Jason Adasiewicz & John Herndon)
6		Lado Leste
7		Six Six Eight (feat. Jason Adasiewicz, John Herndon & Matthew Lux)
8		Rio Negro