Jazz Conspiracy

Published April 8, 2005

The idea of men conspiring can be unsettling--but the battle fought by Chicago-based quintet Jazz Conspiracy is one many of us can get behind.

"We're against this idea that jazz is for the few or the privileged," said trumpeter Thomas Mucha. "We disagree, we think jazz is people's music. You know, it's about emotion and head-bopping and joy of expression."

Tony Dreyfuss, owner of Metropolis Coffee Company, picked up on the band's mission when the quintet used to cram onto his stage for gigs. "It's not jazz that will scare people away in any way," he said. "It's definitely for everyone, as opposed to people who are really going off the deep end with jazz."

Formed last year, Jazz Conspiracy aims to mix the traditional with the innovative. In one set, they might swing through a standard by the likes of Jerome Kern, Cole Porter or Duke Ellington before driving home one of the quintet's own compositions. "Even with our standards we always try to take that song and make it our own," said drummer Matt Mayes. "It's not like we're going to pick up a chart and just play through it. We're going to try to pick it apart and define what makes this song work."

These co-conspirators all met at the Loop's Bloom School of Jazz. "We're all sort of cut from the same musical cloth. We all have similar ideas about what works and what doesn't," Mucha said. That commonality is crucial as Jazz Conspiracy is keen on pursuing "the group sound." "Nobody seems to do much of this anymore but we think it's important because as a group, we can sort of create a synergy and a whole that's greater than the sum of its parts."

A great thing about group playing, Mucha said, is "the little conversations that go on within and among the group, and all the conversations that go on between the band and the audience. To us, that's what jazz is."

Jazz Conspiracy, 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Pops for Champagne, 2934 N. Sheffield Ave. $12; 773-472-1000. - Jenn Q. Goddu, Chicago Tribune

At that delightful edge between bop and cool, Jazz Conspiracy stakes its claim. Here are cats who can move a groove and aren't afraid to roll out a sentimental ballad. They have a solid grasp of the territory, creating an inspiringly approachable treat. - c|net

On a completely different tip, the self-released debut Up to Get Down by straight-ahead postbop quintet Jazz Conspiracy shows another side of younger Chicago jazzers.

Led by the confident and swinging horns of Thomas Mucha (trumpet) and Trent Harris (tenor saxophone), this tight group's set features a dozen varied originals that highlight the talents of each member without showboating or grandstanding. Especially fine are Harris's tenor work and pianist David Beazley's vibing Wurlitzer piano playing on the dark ballad "Clean and Clear," an original penned by bassist Marc Piane. Mucha contributes five tunes replete with sterling solos, including the neobop cooker "City Snap" and Latin boogaloo "The Conspiracy." Beazley also varies his McCoy Tyner-esque piano tracks with some crunchy Rhodes comping on "The Sound of Inevitability" and also contributes some refreshingly restrained and melodic solos on "Riverside Blues" and "Freddie's Groove." Definitely a group to catch live.
-Bob Holub

- Gapers Block