Charles Rumback

On “Black Duck with Elena Setién,” Chicago’s experimental trio team up with Spanish-Basque singer and multi-instrumentalist Elena Setién, recording after just a few hours of rehearsal to capture the direct energy of their live shows. The music shifts from tightly composed to improvised — exciting, adventurous, and full of character. A joy to listen to.

Black Duck and Elena Setién share “Funeral in My Brain,” the final single from “Black Duck with Elena Setién,” their collaborative debut out August 28th via Thrill Jockey. The track draws on Emily Dickinson’s 1862 poem. The quartet came together on shared Spanish tour dates in early 2025 and recorded at Palisade Studio in Chicago.

Chicago trio Black Duck and Basque musician Elena Setién announce their self-titled debut, Black Duck With Elena Setién, out August 28th via Thrill Jockey. Born from a run of improvised Spanish shows and recorded fast in Chicago, the album lands with lead single “Land of the Many Eyes” — four players conversing at the boundaries of improvisation and composition.

Featuring three of Chicago’s biggest hitters – Douglas McCombs, Bill MacKay & Charles Rumback – Black Duck is a dynamic, experimental set of instrumentals that oozes the kind of confidence you would hope for from such a power trio.

Our Tune of the Day is ‘Second Guess’, the latest single from Chicago trio Black Duck, featuring Douglas McCombs, Bill MacKay and Charles Rumback. It’s taken from their self-titled debut album, out on June 23rd via Thrill Jockey.

Thrill Jockey recently invited Charles Rumback to have a delve through their extensive archive of music and talk about some favourites including Brokeback, Sam Prekop and Town & Country.

Illustrating the creativity flowing between these two performers, Little Common Twist is a very skilfully played and arranged piece of work which balances its many flavours like an accomplished chef.

Thrill Jockey have announced the signing of duo Ryley Walker and Charles Rumback. The pair are prepping their sophomore collaborative album due this fall. In the meantime watch this brilliant video of them performing live in Philadelphia.