Victor Haskins: Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese concept which pertains to leading a vibrant, fulfilling, purposeful life. Over his career, Victor Haskins, who spent his early years in India, has obviously been influenced by the improvisational potential of music. With Ikigai, the visionary performer, composer and creator of "ImproviStory" delivers an utterly enthralling sonic exploration in nine originals.

The opener, "A New Way," has the cornetist calling the exotic theme which ensuingly provides Haskins an enormous opportunity to expand his ribbon-like explorations. An incorrigible explorer, on the title track Haskins plays an EVI, a digital instrument, offers a multi-rhythmic frame and employs "looping." "Grow Wider, Deeper" is a poetic piece which finds the leader jousting with engaged bass and drums as the tempos swirl.

Haskins possesses a gorgeous, velvet tone plus the creative smarts and playing technique to pull this kind of extended format off. His improvisations are brilliant in that they are as elegantly simple as they are uniquely complex. His choice of instruments -the cornet -and its more mellow sound play well into what Haskins delivers. His EVI chops and electronics add a haunting dimension to "Me vs. Me" and, later, on "Discernment." Haskins' efforts across the session engage and foster more "free" improvisations and intra- group communication.

"To Seek Understanding" is a deep-thinker of a track which is slower, darker, and bluer, and builds in intensity. The closer and highlight track, "Everything is a Game, Somehow," has Pharr setting the rhythmic and melodic stage before Haskins' EVI delivers a rainbow of different effects. Haskins is shrewd in that his EVI playing explores sounds while not falling into the "effects for their own sake" trap.

The horn, bass and drums ensemble allows significant interplay between the leader and his fine cohorts. The lack of a piano or guitar frees Haskins, Pharr, and Martucci to brilliantly engage in highly sophisticated and complex interchanges. Pharr and Martucci are excellent improvisers always in "conjunction" with the leader.

Ikigai is an absorbing and involving experience. While completely unique, savvy listeners will certainly hear distant reflections of {{Miles Davis]} in his later, "electric" period. With Ikigai Haskins continues his masterful journey—and life's purpose, perhaps -in exploring and delivering musical worlds of wonder.

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