Misha Tsiganov: Painter Of Dreams

A mainstay musician in the vibrant and exciting jazz scene of New York City, Russian-born pianist Misha Tsiganov presents his fifth Criss Cross album, Painter of Dreams, which features six original compositions and two familiar reimagined standards, with every piece but one running from between eight to eleven-minutes in length. The pianist expands his musical boundaries, implements new elements, augments the horn section and, with regard to his own playing, states that he was moved to include an "entirely acoustic soundscape...liberally weaving the Rhodes and Minimoog into the flow" and inviting the flexible voice of Dutch vocalist Hiske Jeltine Oosterwijk.

Before embarking on this new adventure, Tsiganov consulted at length with his friend and colleague trumpeter Alex Sipiagin with whom he has recorded more than 20 albums and who he considers his co-producer here. With Sipiagin's help, the new band for the recording began to take shape, featuring Chris Potter on tenor and soprano saxophones and Miguel Zenon filling in the alto spot. Once the horn and reeds were set, bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Johnathan Blake filled out the remaining rhythm section. Oosterwijk was included on three tracks.

The full sextet is featured on the first three tracks ("Elusive Dots," "April" and "Up Journey"), documenting Potter's participation on the album. He performs on tenor on the first two pieces and lays down a "no-limits chops on soprano" solo on the last tune, while the leader weighs in with solos on the Minimoog, Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano, ably accompanied by Sipiagin's horn work and the singer's wordless vocals on "April," for a turbulent triple-play beginning of the album.

The title track takes a mellow turn, presenting the singer in a leading role, voicing wonderful lyrics and adding some light scatting before giving way to Tsiganov on the keys, as Sipiagin and Zenon finish off the piece in a more aggressive manner than the way this song began.

The oft-recorded Jerome Kern standard "Long Ago and Far Away" is totally re-arranged by the leader as he returns on the Rhodes, accompanied well by the trumpeter and Zenon's "ferocious declamation" of part of the song using his alto voice with incredible support by Blake and "straight-ahead walking bass" lines from Brewer for a new and dynamite version of the old standard.

An original chart penned in remembrance of the 22 years Tsiganov has lived on Brooklyn's Seeley Street, "Seeley Street Song" has the pianist laying down gentle warm piano solos while Sipiagin reaches with the flugelhorn, accompanied by Oosterwijk in her last vocal performance of the set and its shortest piece, which is followed by the last two sizzling numbers, "Chain of Events" and "I Loves You Porgy."

Of this sparkling album, Tsiganov exclaimed, "I'm extremely happy with this album." With even one sampling of the recording, one can fully understand just why he should be. Painter of Dreams is a remarkably well-conceived experience sure to resonate with the more sophisticated jazz audience.