It was recorded during January and June 1997 at three different locations, and was released in 1998 by the Thrill Jockey label.

[1][2][3] In an interview, Mazurek stated that his music is "a protest against anything or anybody that wants to put up some kind of barrier between total creativity," and remarked: "The first Chicago Underground record is called 12 Degrees of Freedom.

[7] Monica Kendrick of the Chicago Reader stated that "Mazurek and... Taylor use vibes, piano, and bamboo flute along with their primary instruments to construct subtle, spartan soundscapes that occasionally burst into flurries of notes and beats or fill out into mesmerizing grooves.

"[9] The New York Times's Ben Ratliff praised Thrill Jockey for releasing the album, writing: "The indie-rock scene has reached a dry point, so more small rock labels ought to take a chance on jazz, as this one did; their approach to recording the music, and the meaning of their imprimatur to an entirely different group of listeners, could rejuvenate jazz's constituency.

Young people put their money where the excitement is; they don't care what it's called.