Jon Irabagon: I Don't Hear Nothin' but the Blues Volume 3 Part 2: Exuberant Scars

Saxophonist Jon Irabagon is a master improviser who routinely creates provocative and moving works. Exuberant Scars, the fourth episode in his I Don't Hear Nothin' But The Blues series is no exception. Irabagon is joined by like-minded musicians on a single, 46-minutes long, spontaneously created piece.

Drummer Mike Pride, who has appeared on all four I Don't Hear Nothin' But The Blues, opens the performance with chiming percussion and splashing cymbals. He sets a cinematic ambience. Irabagon's breathy saxophone and the dual guitarists' resonant chords conjure up the image of open, arid spaces. Guitarists Mick Barr and Ava Mendoza frame Irababon's acerbic tenor with eerie, haunting phrases.

Within minutes the band interplay becomes riotous and the mood angsty as four individual streams of consciousness musings overlap. The result, however, is not cacophony but, because of the camaraderie of the group, quite harmonious despite the ample dissonance. Barr joined Irabagon and Pride on the last three volumes, while Mendoza became part of the ensemble for the past two. These artists have forged a bond and a shared creative vision that is apparent here.

The repartee grows in tempo and all silent pauses that were inherent in the beginning are drowned out by the fiery lines emanating from Irabagon, Mendoza and Barr over Pride's polyrhythmic flourishes. The genre bending Barr brings a rock inspired sensibility to his playing while the equally versatile Mendoza uses hints of the blues. Meanwhile the adventurous Pride lays down a dynamic, intricate cadence that both drives and anchors the music.

Irabagon is pretty much the pulsating heart of the group with his incandescent tenor and his restlessly creative ideas. The explosive collaborative extemporization climaxes midway after which the saxophonist's brief wails and his bandmates' sparse tolling notes and hypnotic beats give the tune an expectant feel.

The stimulating album concludes with a brighter tone. Irabagon blows soulfully while Mendoza and Barr strum with contemplation. Barr contributes sparse yet exquisitely timed thumps and thuds. An evocative silence returns during the closing seconds of the recording.

Exuberant Scars, as with its predecessors, is demanding and thrilling music. The release is one of sublime beauty and intelligence with a subtle dramatic sense that repays surrendering to.

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