Horizons
Blue Room, 2024
8/10
The trumpet and flugelhorn extraordinaire Alex Sipiagin is surrounded by Chris Potter, John Escreet, Eric Harland and Matt Brewer for these 8 originals and 2 covers that continue his creative and timeless jazz approach.
“While You Weren’t Looking” opens with a swift and dynamic display that benefits much from Sipiagin’s flowing trumpet, and “Overseen” follows with a calmer spirit via Potters’s warm sax and Harland’s atmospheric drumming.
Halfway through, “When Is It Now?”, a Pat Metheny original, emits much beauty thanks to Sipiagin’s pretty tone, while “Lost” tugs on the heartstrings with its intimate mood and Escreet’s mature keys.
Close to the end, the title track unfolds across 3 chapters of exploratory sounds that use the sax and flugelhorn in rich ways amid the unpredictable rhythm section, and “AIVA-tion” exits with a more rock focused finish of dreamy and meticulous song craft that’s anchored by Brewer’s precise bass.
Sipiagin’s got an impressive catalog and this 11th pairing with Potter has each selection radiating in its own light.
Travels well with: Alexa Torres Quartet- In Situ; Jay Sanders- Evanescent