Jon Irabagon / PlainsPeak: Someone to Someone

Jon Irabagon is a musician whose complexity is both exhilarating and daunting. His restless energy, deep self-reflection, remarkable achievements and sharp intellect combine to create a figure who constantly provokes questions—about music, originality and the very nature of artistic expression.

In 2011, Irabagon undertook a bold experiment: With Mostly Other People Do The Killing, he recorded Blue (Hot Cup, 2014), a note-for-note recreation of Miles Davis's iconic Kind of Blue (Columbia Records, 1959). This endeavor recalls Gus Van Sant's shot-for-shot remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (Paramount Pictures, 1960), a project Van Sant described as a response to Hollywood's obsession with remakes—a technical exercise meant to provoke thought. Similarly, Irabagon's Blue challenges listeners to consider why we revere originals. What ineffable quality does the original possess that a meticulous replica cannot capture? What, truly, is originality? These are not just questions of craft, but of philosophy.

Irabagon's career is a testament to versatility. He has collaborated with a wide spectrum of artists, from avant-garde visionaries like Mary Halvorson and Evan Parker to jazz legends such as Dave Douglas, Barry Altschul, Roscoe Mitchell and Wynton Marsalis. He has even spent time as a sideman in Michael Buble's backing band. His command of the saxophone family is equally impressive: alto, sopranino, mezzo-soprano, tenor, bass and the rare double-bass saxophone all find a place in his hands.

Irabagon is as much a provocateur as he is a performer. In interviews, he ranges from humor and self-deprecation to discussions of depression and existential themes. He often calls himself a joker, while others see him as a disruptor. For Irabagon, music is not just a vehicle for sound but for ideas—though he acknowledges that sometimes an essay might serve better. Still, he strives to merge both forms of expression.

PlainsPeak's Someone to Someone, exemplifies this duality. The album is accompanied by a lengthy note from Irabagon's label, Irabbagast Records, focusing not on the music but on —his adopted city. The publicist's note highlights "full circle" moments: trumpeter Russ Johnson played on Irabagon's debut album; bassist Clark Sommers was part of his first public performance; drummer Dana Hall was a graduate assistant during Irabagon's time at DePaul University. The album, Irabagon says, is a love letter to Chicago, embracing everything from straight-ahead jazz to the avant-garde. He describes his bandmates as "inside-outside" players, fluent in both bebop and free improvisation.

The album's track titles reflect Irabagon's wit and his affection for Chicago's quirks. "Malört Is My Shepherd": A playful pun on "The Lord is my Shepherd," this track nods to Malört, a notorious wormwood schnapps famed for its challenging flavor—likened to burnt rubber, earwax and gasoline. The music mirrors the experience: A hymn-like opening leads to intertwining free improvisation, returning to the melody as if reflecting on the drink's unique aftertaste. It is almost program music, where narrative shapes the musical journey.

"At What Price Garlic": This piece opens with a loping bass line and develops a theme with "many layers like a good pizza." Trumpet and alto saxophone add their own spices, while the rhythm shifts between 11/4, 3/4 and 5/4, allowing each soloist to improvise in their own meter.

"Buggin' The Bug": A blues march inspired by a summer cicada invasion, this track features a strong shuffle rhythm and a sense of wildness, with the bass and drums at its core. "Tiny Miracle (At a Funeral for a Friend)": An elegiac piece where Irabagon and Russ Johnson weave their lines around a sorrowful theme, creating a joyful requiem. "Hidden Track": The album includes an unlisted seventh track, a characteristic Irabagon "joke/gift." Russ Johnson's trumpet evokes the Duke Ellington sound, while the piece builds to a virtuosic, rapid-fire alto saxophone solo—perhaps Irabagon's most complete statement on the instrument.

Someone to Someone stands as a comprehensive artistic statement from a musician who has searched relentlessly and, in his own restless way, found a unique voice. The album is as distinctive as Malört, as layered and flavorful as a Chicago pizza with extra garlic, and as innovative as anything Irabagon has ever created—a true reflection of his dynamic and brilliant nature.