Ars Nova Workshop presents the return of the visionary Chicago Underground Duo, the longstanding collaboration of Rob Mazurek and Chad Taylor, at Solar Myth on Sunday, September 14, 2025.

Springing from the transformative generation of far-ranging improvisers that emerged on the Chicago scene during the 1990s, the dauntless Chicago Underground Duo consists of Rob Mazurek (cornet, electronics, piano) and Chad Taylor (drums, percussion, electronics, vibes, guitar). The duo is renowned for combining powerful grooves with ambient sound structures, folk song directness and polyrhythmic bursts of energy with lyrical melodic vignettes. The pairing has served as the cornerstone of a multifarious ensemble, expanding in varied forms from trio to orchestra but always orbiting the vision and chemistry forged by Mazurek and Taylor. While neither has called Chicago home for some time (Mazurek has established a base in the arts-rich community of Marfa, TX, while Taylor now resides in Philly), their frequent reunions always deliver a special kind of magic and invention.