Jazz Articles about Arman Sangalang

About Arman Sangalang

Album Review

Waypoints, the second recording by Chicago-based tenor saxophonist Arman Sangalang's quartet, continues on a path similar to his first, Arman Sangalang Quartet (Calligram, 2023), leaning on original compositions and closing with a perennially popular standard, Johnny Green's “Body & Soul." Sangalang is a splendid player, blending a strong and persuasive solo voice with precise technique and a bright and pleasing sound. His teammates are similarly adept, lending Sangalang solid and dependable support. The compositional highlight of the program ...

Album Review

Arman Sangalang: Waypoints

Read "Waypoints" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
July 29, 2026

Saxophonist Arman Sangalang released his debut record, Quartet (Calligram Records) in 2023. It was a smoldering sax-and-a-rhythm-section quartet outing that sounded surprisingly fresh for a first recording effort. His follow-up, Waypoints, employs the same format, switching out bassist Matt Ulery for Ethan Philion, while keeping guitarist Dave Miller and drummer Devin Drobka. The sophomore effort careens toward expanded freedom, boldly. “I wanted to give them [his quartet cohorts] the freedom to do what they wanted with the music," ...

Album Review

IRIS: IRIS

by Glenn Astarita
May 3, 2024

IRIS is a self-titled debut, encapsulating the vibrant spirit of Chicago's jazz scene. The ensemble, composed of Arman Sangalang (tenor saxophone), Kirby Fellis (trombone), Austyn Menk (piano), Morgan Turner (bass) and Paul Barrilles (drums and cymbals), marries the rich traditions of hard bop and post-bop with a fresh, contemporary outlook. The album opens with “Easy Does It," a piece by Sangalang inspired by a new music venue in Chicago, setting a tone of camaraderie and spirited interplay with ...

Album Review

Arman Sangalang: Quartet

by Jack Bowers
August 20, 2023

Chicago-based tenor saxophonist Arman Sangalang, still in his mid-20s, makes his recording debut with Quartet, wherein his talented four-member ensemble uses delicate textures and shadings in lieu of heated fire and brimstone to amplify its even-tempered musical purpose. That was clearly Sangalang's idea, as he wrote all save one of the album's ten by and large tranquil themes (chaperoning the lone standard, Johnny Burke and Jimmy Van Heusen's “Polka Dots and Moonbeams"). Sangalang's unaccompanied intro to that ...