The strong assonances between this impressive release by Rob Mazurek, who shuffled his cards of talented collaborators to give birth to a majestic octet, and monumental sessions like "the notorious "Bitches Brew" by Miles Davis are fortuitous as the sparkle for "Skull Sessions" came when the We Want Miles exhibition at SESC Sao Paulo asked Mazurek to highlight the propinquity of his musical research with the one by the legendary Miles Davis. Instead of recreating themes of that great jazz innovator, Rob revamped some compositions by himself by rearrangement which could fit the peculiar features of each musicians and the whole sound of the octet. The final result goes beyond any better expectetions and the different stylistical drives he managed to aggregate in this octet sound so perfectly balanced that you could have the impression to listen a proper crossbreed between Sao Paulo Underground's rhythmical tropicalism, Exploding Star Orchestra's sonic orbits and Starlicker's mesmerizing energy. Such a motley metabolic variegation derives both from the "syncretic" attitude of Mazurek's compositional approach and from the different "alma mater" of each musician of the octet, who already belong to the above-mentioned ensemble and come from North and South America, including drummer John Herndon, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, whose finespun hits play a key-role to bridle listeners in the charming weaves of these sessions, Guilherme Granado on electronics and keyboards, skilled flutist Nicole Mitchell, guitarist Carlo Issa, Sao paulo Underground's Mauricio Takara on percussion and cavaquinho (Brazilian ukulele) and Thomas Rohrer on C melody saxophone and rabeca (a rustic viola from North-eastern Brazil). The role of Mazurek's cornet is somehow close to Davis' trumpet in the above-mentioned "Bitches Brew" as it often seems to tune other instruments on a melodic sketched line before giving emphasis to the sonic spirals they generate by means of a ring modulator, which seems to function as a catalyzing agent together with the fleet of drums and percussions. This coagulant effect is quite clear in the opener "Galactic Ice Skeleton", a wonderful piece Mazurek composed for Exploding Star Orchestra where cornet seems to direct the ebullient molecular soup of the other voices, which sound shaking within a plasmatic cloud, and the following "Voodoo and The Petrified Forest", an elemental dancing whirlwind whose main theme seems to resurface from rough water, even if it often runs into the highly energetic whirling impetus the octet succeeds in bursting forth as it happens in the amazing crescendo of "The Skull Caves of Alderon", which follows a pacific entrancing introduction on a disabled vibraphone which sounds like a Balinese gamelan, or unleashes other elements like in the lopsided ballad "Passing Light Scream", a composition Rob tributed to the legandary French/Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose initial folk theme and elaxing chimes turn into a mindblowing twist. Some surreal setting of Jodorowsky's movies could be resembled by the final gossamer improvisation for flute, rabeca and electronics of "Keeping The Light Up" as well. Strongly recommended listening.