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Alex Sipiagin: NoFo Skies
Sipiagin and company waste no time laying down the blueprint. Fronted by a flurry of exhilarating staccato lines, tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, Sipiagin, and alto saxophonist Will Vinson, along with the ever muscular Eric Harland on drums, "Rush" in. Keyboardist/pianist John Escreet flavors the title track with an airy, playful fusion. Potter continues his acrobatics when the song breaks into a tightly-choreographed Sipiagin/Harland conversation, giving way to more trade-offs between the horns. And though it feels disruptive to the flow and vibe and holds the disc back from a higher star rating, "Recovery" is a mellow stop and the first of four tracks that return the breathy stylings of vocalist/lyricist Alina Engibaryan to the otherwise bubbling mix.
Sipiagin moves away from the percolating and propulsive with the ambient minimalist explorations of "Sky 1" and "Sky 2." Harland is a skittery presence, his brush work and atmospheric cymbal work giving balance to clouds of synth and the resonant depth of bassist Matt Brewer, who un-demonstrably, holds the whole of NoFo Skies quietly together.
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Track Listing
Rush; NoFo Skies; Recovery; Savoir; Sky 1; Shadows; Start Of . . .; Sky 2; Between AM's; For You.
Personnel
Alex Sipiagin
trumpetAlex Sipiagin: Trumpet; Chris Potter: Tenor Saxophone; Wiil Vinson: Alto Saxophone; John Escreet: Piano and Keyboards; Matt Brewer: Bass; Eric Harland: Drums; Alina Engibaryan: Vocals (# 3, 6, 9, 10).
Album information
Title: NoFo Skies | Year Released: 2019 | Record Label: Blue Room
About Alex Sipiagin
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