Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jon Irabagon Trio: It Takes All Kinds

9

Jon Irabagon Trio: It Takes All Kinds

By

Sign in to view read count
Jon Irabagon Trio: It Takes All Kinds
This trio radiated Olympian style heroics akin to an endurance race on Foxy (Hot Cup, 2010). It was an arousing exercise in energy and power. And while drummer Barry Altschul, and bassist Mark Helias are time-honored jazz warriors— respectively appearing on many landmark albums—saxophonist Jon Irabagon is now firmly seated with the upper-echelon of modern saxophone heroes. His star has definitely risen. A first-call session ace and stalwart member of the cutting-edge, nouveau jazz ensemble Mostly Other People Do The Killing, the artist is a force to be reckoned with. And perhaps no other album to date highlights his titanic faculties on It Takes All Kinds, which was recorded in 2013 at Germany's Jazzwerkstatt festival.

Irabagon's polytonal inflections; gravelly interludes and seemingly limitless improvisational proficiencies are snuggled within his sinewy assaults. The trio is largely about invoking a consortium of liberating aspects as they wind up, wind down, reinvent and push the envelope. These works contain melodic content based on a surfeit of storylines, spanning March progressions, ostinato extensions, bop, free-bop and more. For instance, on "Quintessential Kitten" Irabagon pulls out the proverbial stops. Add a few doses of the late jazz and pop saxophonist Boots Randolph's "Yakety Sax" inferences, with searching notes and a touch of angst, the saxophonist guides the trio through surging frameworks and asymmetrical explosions.

The musicians operate with the resolve of great explorers. Weaving statements and the rhythm section's counterbalancing accents and responses, generate great depth and room for expansion. Irabagon's vigorous buzz-saw phrasings and popping notes spark a buoyant, yet whimsical motif during "Cutting Corners" where Helias tenders a contrasting muse via his walking lines and multi-register enactments, as Altschul swaths a polyrhythmic undercurrent. The drummer also launches "Unconditional" with an extensive workout, including North African toms patterns in support of the saxophonist's singing choruses. Moreover, Helias takes his turn by launching "Sunrise" with an in-depth solo spot, teeming with inward-looking discourses and tricky maneuvers while the trio imparts a climate that is analogous to a sense of isolation. Among other glaring positive forces, the trio's telepathic interplay is simply stunning.

Track Listing

Wherewithal; Vestiges; Quintessential Kitten; Elusive; Cutting Corners; Unconditional; Sunrise; Pause and Flip.

Personnel

Jon Irabagon
saxophone, sopranino

Jon Irabagon: Tenor Saxophone; Mark Helias: Double Bass; Barry Altschul: Drums and Percussion.

Album information

Title: It Takes All Kinds | Year Released: 2014 | Record Label: Jazzwerkstatt Berlin-brandenburg E.v.

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

What Was Happening
Bobby Wellins Quartet
Laugh Ash
Ches Smith
A New Beat
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.