New happenings

Hi all, happy spring (finally)!!

Just a quick update:

We've been getting many stellar reviews for our new trio record, It Takes All Kinds, on Irabbagast Records and Jazzwerkstatt.  Some can be seen here:

http://www.criticaljazz.com/2014/02/jon-irabagon-it-takes-all-kinds-jw-2014.html

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2014/02/10/jon-irabagon-with-barry-altschul-and-mark-helias-it-takes-all-kinds-2014/

http://www.londonjazznews.com/2014/02/cd-review-jon-irabagon-trio-it-takes.html

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=46519

http://dustedmagazine.tumblr.com/post/79668827365/jon-irabagon-it-takes-all-kinds-irrabagast-records

http://canadianaudiophile.net/2014/03/28/jon-irabagon-it-takes-all-kinds/

http://gapplegatemusicreview.blogspot.com/2014/02/jon-irabagon-it-takes-all-kinds.html

and this great one that just came out yesterday:
http://www.thetens.us/pins/253-it-takes-all-kinds


Also, there have been a couple of nice features on my playing and some albums I have played on recently here:

http://www.popmatters.com/column/167286-jon-irabagon-takes-us-by-storm/

http://jazztimes.com/articles/93416-jon-irabagon-eclectic-warrior


I just recorded a new book of music with my new jazz quartet that features Luis Perdomo, Yasushi Nakamura and Rudy Royston.  We're excited to have featured on three tunes the inimitable Tom Harrell!!  These 11 new compositions have been written with these guys in mind, and will be coming out early next year on Irabbagast Records.  Stay tuned!

In the meantime, the Mostly Other People do the Killing Septet is playing at the Moers Festival in Germany this summer, the Newport Jazz Festival in August and the Berlin Music Festival in November.  The Dave Douglas Quintet is playing in Seattle, Eugene and Denver in June, as well as the Middleheim Festival in Belgium in August and Birdland for a whole week in August, gearing up for its next recording.  Barry Altschul and the 3Dom Factor (with Joe Fonda and myself) is playing at Firehouse 12 in New Haven on May 23, as well as a European tour in December.  Mike Pride's From Bacteria to Boys is playing festivals in Montreal and Ottawa on June 19 and 20, and the Mary Halvorson Quintet is doing its first European tour in late October and early November.

My trio with Mark Helias and Barry Altschul is going on tour in Germany, Austria, Poland and more in late September and early October, celebrating the release of It Takes All Kinds and learning new material for the next record.  Hope to see you out there!

Thanks for reading!
Jon

New album out!

Hi everyone, I hope you're keeping warm in this crazy weather!

Just a quick note to let you know that my new album, It Takes All Kinds, is out today on iTunes, local record stores, the Jazzwerkstatt website (http://records-cd.com) and through myself.  The record features eight of my originals, as performed at the 2013 Peitz Festival in Germany, and features two of my favorite musicians and improvisers-- Barry Altschul and Mark Helias!  This co-release between Jazzwerkstatt and my own Irabbagast Records has been a dream come true, and we couldn't be more proud of the music!  This trio will be touring Europe in late September/early October 2014, so keep an eye out for us!

In other music news, another one of my favorite drummers, Rudy Royston, is releasing his debut record on Dave Douglas' Greenleaf Music label on February 4.  "303" features Rudy's compositions and many of NYC's finest musicians.  I am happy to be a part of this project!  Please see the live shows section to see when we are playing in your area!

Thanks for checking in, and see you soon!

Jon

New CD announced, tour dates, new articles!

Hi everyone, I hope you've been having a great summer.  I'm excited to announce that my record label, Irabbagast Records, is teaming up with Germany's Jazzwerkstatt and we are co-releasing my new trio CD in late October, featuring Barry Altschul and Mark Helias!!

Mark and Barry have been playing together for over thirty years, and it's been a dream of mine to get them together and play my music.  We recorded 8 of my new originals at the Peitz Jazz Festival in Germany back in June, and I cannot be happier with the way they turned out.  Stay tuned for more on that!

It's been a very busy year so far, with CD releases from the Dave Douglas Quintet, Mostly Other People do the Killing, Mike Pride's From Bacteria to Boys, the Barry Altschul 3Dom Factor and the Mary Halvorson Septet.  All the records have been receiving rave reviews from critics and fans alike, so pick up a copy!   There's also a new Mostly Other People do the Killing record coming out in late October, featuring the quartet along with Brandon Seabrook, Ron Stabinsky and Dave Taylor.

I just updated the tour schedule, so take a look, and hopefully I'll see you out there!  I'm traveling around a lot to end the year and doing shows with Dave Douglas, Mostly Other People, Barry Altschul and Mary Halvorson.

Thomas Conrad did a great write-up of my music at JazzTimes recently.  Thanks, Thomas!  Check out the link here:  http://jazztimes.com/articles/93416-jon-irabagon-eclectic-warrior

And finally, I was honored to be named Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist in this year's Downbeat Critics Poll.  Thanks to everyone that voted for me; I truly appreciate it.  I also finished runner up in the poll's Rising Star Jazz Artist category.   You can see the entire magazine here:  http://www.downbeat.com/digitaledition/2013/DB201308/_art/DB201308.pdf

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you out and about!
Jon

Pop Matters Blog article

Happy 2013 everybody!  This is gearing up to be a pretty busy this year for me.  I'm doing tours with the Barry Altschul 3Dom Factor, Mostly Other People do the Killing, my trio with Mark Helias and Barry Altschul, the new Dave Douglas Quintet with Aoife O'Donovan, the Mary Halvorson Quintet and Mike Pride's From Bacteria to Boys.

I'm also on a bunch of new records coming out this year:  Barry's new record "The 3Dom Factor" just came out on Finland's TUM Records, Mostly Other People do the Killing's fifth studio album, "Slippery Rock" came out a week ago on Hot Cup Records, the new Dave Douglas Quintet record "Time Travel" is coming out in April, the new From Bacteria to Boys record "Birthing Days" is coming out in May, the new Mary Halvorson Septet record is coming out later in the year, as well as a new MOPDtK live record and an expanded MOPDtK with piano, banjo and bass trombone!

Whew.  

I'm also honored and humbled to have had this article written on my music by Will Layman at PopMatters.com.  Check it out!  Will really hits it out of the park, and nails exactly where I'm coming from with my music and different bands.  

http://www.popmatters.com/pm/column/167286-jon-irabagon-takes-us-by-storm/

Also, the new video from Mostly Other People do the Killing just came out.  Thanks to Yuan Liu for all she did to make this thing happen.  

http://vimeo.com/58001210

And finally, my recent releases on my own label, Irabbagast Records, have been getting some great reviews, and they've been selling!  Can't believe I have to order a 2nd batch of them!!  Downbeat recently gave Unhinged a rare 5 star rating, and it was pictured next to the recent Keith Jarrett record on the "5 Star Masterpiece" page of the January 2013 issue.  Unhinged also just received a CHOC rating in the big French magazine Jazzman/Jazzmagazine, which is the equivalent to a 5 star review.  Thanks everyone!  

I'll be writing again soon to put more reviews, articles and shows up.  Until then, feel free to drop me a line and say hello!

Jon

Tuesday's the day!

In addition to being Election Day in the States (don't forget to vote!!), Tuesday sees the launch of my new record label, Irabbagast Records, and the release of my two latest albums:  Outright! Unhinged and I Don't Hear Nothin' but the Blues Volume 2: Appalachian Haze.  I'm extremely proud of both of these records and can't wait to share them with you!

Appalachian Haze features Mike Pride on drums and Mick Barr on guitar, and is one gigantic 47 minute interactive improvisation based on Mike and my long-standing duo built on motives, repetition, and kitchen-sink genre inclusion.  These guys absolutely slay it on this one, and we look forward to the CD release show on December 6 at the Cornelia St. Cafe in New York City.

Outright! Unhinged is the 2nd album in my Outright! series, and features Ralph Alessi, Jacob Sacks, John Hebert and Tom Rainey in the quintet, along with special guests Eivind Opsvik, Glenn Alexander, Mike Pride, Chris Cash and the Outright! Jazz Orchestra.  The reviews are already starting to come in, so make sure to check back here for some of the highlights.

These albums will be available through CDBaby and Amazon, and you can always get in touch with me here at jon@jonirabagon.com if you wish to purchase these, or any of my other titles, through me directly.

Thanks for reading!

Jon

New Dave Douglas recording, live broadcast on The Checkout

Hi everyone,

I'm extremely honored and delighted to be a part of the new Dave Douglas Quintet recording, Be Still.  It has gotten some amazing reviews so far, and features Matt Mitchell, Linda Oh, Rudy Royston and great singer Aoife O'Donovan in addition to Dave and myself.  If you haven't had the chance to check out the music yet, here's the EPK for the record:

           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk4xKvvD6Xo

Also, the great people at Greenleaf have put together two music videos from the recording session:

           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocAaZ2aMrNo
           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl9_S_dfA7Q

AND, we performed at the 92nd St. Y in Tribeca in New York City last week, and here's the stream, from NPR:

           http://www.npr.org/event/music/160693129/dave-douglas-quintet-live-from-92y-tribeca


In further news, there are new recordings from the Mary Halvorson Septet, Mike Pride's From Bacteria to Boys, Mostly Other People do the Killing, and even the next Dave Douglas Quintet on the way early next year.  I also have a bunch of touring coming up in both America and Europe, so check out the "Live" page and come say hi!

Thanks for reading.

Jon

New haps!

Hi all,

I know it's been a minute, but we've been working on some really exciting things, including new (and more regular!) blog postings, new recordings from myself and fellow conspirators, and a new record label!!

I just started a Twitter account to help keep you up to date on what's going on in my musical world, so if you'd like to stay in touch, follow me @JonIrabagon.

I'm on several new recordings that will find their way to iTunes, CD Baby, etc. in the next couple of months, including records from the Dave Douglas Quintet, Mostly Other People do the Killing, Mike Pride's From Bacteria to Boys, the Mary Halvorson Quintet and Septet, and the Hot Club of Detroit.  Keep coming back for updates and reviews.

Finally, I'm happy to announce my new record label, Irabbagast Records, which will help document the rumblings of my mind digitally.  On November 6th, the first to releases on the label will drop simultaneously, both extensions of previous albums.  "I Don't Hear Nothin' but the Blues Volume 2: Appalachian Haze" is the 2nd installment of my group featuring Mike Pride, and this time we've added guitar whiz Mick Barr to the mix.  Also, "Unhinged," the new record from my concept "Outright!" will drop, featuring Ralph Alessi, Jacob Sacks, John Hebert and Tom Rainey, as well as many, many special guests.

I'll be updating the site more to keep you posted on the new happenings, as well as to lend some insight into what's going on in these recordings!

Thanks for checking in, and see you soon!

Jon