Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Jon Irabagon Trio Featuring Barry Altschul Releases "Foxy" on Hot Cup Records September 14, 2010


"Jon is one of the city’s deadliest horn players.”
– Hank Shteamer, Time Out New York

“Jon’s encyclopedic knowledge reworks, and rewrites, history with an omnivorous curiosity.”
— Vincenzo Roggero, Italian All About Jazz

Hot Cup Records is proud to announce the release of "Foxy", the fourth album as a leader by saxophonist Jon Irabagon. Joining him on this trio recording are the legendary drummer Barry Altschul and bassist Peter Brendler. Over the course of 78 plus minutes, the trio explores and attempts to exhaust the possibilities of a standard sixteen bar form. In his extraordinary uninterrupted tenor saxophone solo, Irabagon interacts with his two bandmates and draws on historical elements from both his own work and that of past masters.
Rarely, if ever, do young musicians with Irabagon's mainstream credentials and awards attempt such a range of ambitious projects. Ideas present in Irabagon's first three releases merge here to create an important artistic statement and a continuation of his already illustrious career. The flexibility of the jazz tradition and the relationship between "inside" and "outside" playing, first explored on
"Outright" (Innova), is pushed further in this trio recording. Irabagon has also explored long-form improvisation and the use of recurring motifs in his duo with Mike Pride.
Like many young musicians, Irabagon has sought out older, more experienced players to perform and record with. His previous release, "The Observer" (Concord), featured Kenny Barron, Rufus Reid, and Victor Lewis, one of the classic rhythm sections in jazz. Yet the choice of Barry Altschul seems more appropriate given the range of Irabagon's interests. Having earned his place in jazz history by performing with such diverse legends as Hampton Hawes, Dave Holland, Lee Konitz, Anthony Braxton, and Paul Bley, Altschul is the perfect combination of tradition, innovation, and experience. Irabagon and Altschul's interaction on "Foxy" demonstrates both their similar musical sensibilities and astonishing technical prowess.