Home » Jazz Articles » Hugh Ragin: Fanfare & Fiesta

Hugh Ragin: Fanfare & Fiesta

By Jim Santella
April 1, 2001
Sign in to view read count

Recorded last June, this session moves in three distinct directions. Two cameo appearances by Clark Terry invite a lighthearted swing element. The title track moves toward creative improvised music, and yet is still in line with the mainstream. The remainder of the album invites unpredictable behavior through composed counterpoint and exciting solo performances.

Hugh Ragin, 50, cites the World Saxophone Quartet as his inspiration. A varied career has allowed the trumpeter to befriend different musical themes. With David Murray, he's responsible for providing fresh ideas in a forward-leaning environment. As a teacher, Ragin follows a time honored approach toward what makes quality in music and what doesn't. His clear, bell-like tone, crisp articulation and extended range stand apart as paradigms. Ragin's approach has much in common with the perfectionist style of Wynton Marsalis. Their tastes, however, run worlds apart.

The title track bears a strong resemblance to "A Love Supreme." The natural theme repeats, while each trumpeter and pianist Craig Taborn turn it loose. Ragin's three final pieces, with an average length of eleven minutes per track, explore valuable creative territory. Much like Gallery (CIMP 177), his 1998 duo album with Marc Sabatella, Fanfare & Fiesta contains a curious mix of adventure and beauty. His "Harmonic Architecture" plays upon a harmolodic connection. Two pieces by Lester Bowie invite the four trumpeters to explore different aspects of the instrument's prescribed role. Conversing with distinctive trumpet voices, the foursome creates a flurry of excitement collectively, in pairs, and individually. It's each soloist's creative input that makes Ragin's second Justin Time album a success. The ensemble's members in turn, whether extended or in brief fours, wear a free attitude in their search for something new in jazz.

Track Listing

Finger Filibuster*, Fanfare & Fiesta, Spacemen*, Barnyard Scuffel Shuffel, How Strange, Harmonic Architecture, A Prayer For Lester Bowie, Emergency Exit

Personnel

Hugh Ragin, Clark Terry*, Dontae Winslow, Omar Kabir, James Zollar, trumpet; Craig Taborn, piano; Jaribu Shahid, bass; Bruce Cox, drums

Album information

Title: Fanfare & Fiesta | Year Released: 2001 | Record Label: Justin Time Records

Post a comment about this album

FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZ

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.

WE NEED YOUR 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.