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Jazz Articles about Jon Irabagon
Jon Irabagon Quartet with Tim Hagans: Dr. Quixotic's Traveling Exotics
by Karl Ackermann
Tenor saxophonist Jon Irabagon is best known for his long tenure with Mostly Other People Do the Killing (MOPDtK), beginning with This Is Our Moosic (Hot Cup Records, 2008) and through the majority of that group's releases up to 2017's Loafer's Hollow. But along the way to Dr. Quixotic's Traveling Exotics, he has accumulated an eclectic resume. His Perpetual Motion (A Celebration of Moondog) (Jazz Village, 2014), with French composer and multi-reedist Sylvain Rifflet, was a moving and exuberant tribute ...
Continue ReadingJon Irabagon: Inaction is an Action & Behind the Sky
by Doug Collette
It's a rare musician who can find ways to excel in multiple contexts, but saxophonist/composer Jon Irabagon is just such an artist. His timeline contains entries as collaborator as well as leader and his respective contributions are equally distinctive, suggesting his humility is equaled only by his independence. Because the nuances of his compositions are as fine as those of his musicianship, the sum effect of Irabagon's artistic arc conjures up the compelling notion that he is not only an ...
Continue ReadingJon Irabagon: Inaction is An Action
by Budd Kopman
Inaction Is An Action, simultaneously released with its almost polar opposite Behind The Sky, is a force of nature embodied in the sopranino saxophone as “played" solo by Jon Irabagon. From the point of view of how each piece “sounds," and each track truly is a composition, its range is astounding. It should not be surprising that Irabagon has been working on the instrument (which sounds an octave above an alto sax) for a decade, by himself and with others. ...
Continue ReadingJon Irabagon: Behind The Sky
by Budd Kopman
Simply put, Behind The Sky is a flat-out superlative recording by saxophonist Jon Irabagon. Straddling “inside" and “outside," it can be appreciated by those more comfortable with the straight-ahead (with some stretching, of course), as well as those who enjoy music which challenges the ear and mind. The “rhythm section," consisting of pianist Luis Perdomo, bassist Yasushi Nakamura and drummer Rudy Royston, has worked with Irabagon a long time and it can be clearly heard, most easily in ...
Continue ReadingPoker di Jon Irabagon
by Stefano Merighi
Il jazz di oggi è sicuramente policentrico, continuando in questo la sua stratificata tradizione. Sempre più spazio trovano artisti americani di origini diverse. Tra essi, il sassofonista Jon Irabagon (sangue filippino) è emerso da un decennio con una forza dirompente, conseguenza di una preparazione enciclopedica, tradotta abilmente in un'ampia gamma di situazioni sonore. Vincitore del Thelonious Monk Saxophone Competition nel 2008, segnalato quale sassofonista di primo piano in svariati Poll, Irabagon sembra in grado di suonare ...
Continue ReadingJon Irabagon: Behind The Sky
by Jakob Baekgaard
The cover of saxophonist Jon Irabagon's album Behind the Sky depicts a lonely man walking in a landscape of ice-clad mountains. The image is an apt metaphor for the grieving process that Irabagon tries to put into music. However, those expecting a ballad session of gentle contemplation are in for a surprise. Irabagon's musical landscape is far more knotty and rhythmically complex than the simple, but difficult art of the ballad. There are tender moments, sure, but also heated swing ...
Continue ReadingJon Irabagon: Inaction is An Action
by Jakob Baekgaard
The release of saxophonist and composer Jon Irabagon's album Inaction is An Action poses an interesting question. When should an artist release a record? It is not a matter of talent. Long ago, Irabagon has proven himself. He has won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition and gained success in every measureable way, including release on a major record label and critical acclaim. It is also not a matter of good or bad. ...
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