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Jon Irabagon: Rising Sun

By Mike Jurkovic
October 14, 2022
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Since his days with bassist

Moppa Elliott

bass
b.1978

" data-original-title="" title="">Moppa Elliott's maddeningly inventive

Mostly Other People Do the Killing

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Mostly Other People Do the Killing, first-generation Filipino-American saxophonist

Jon Irabagon

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Jon Irabagon has seemed to be on the periphery of the larger jazz world looking in. His big surging tone instantly and reverently recalls late era

John Coltrane

saxophone
1926 - 1967

" data-original-title="" title="">John Coltrane and has been associated with fellow adventurers

Dave Douglas

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Dave Douglas,

Ralph Alessi

trumpet
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Ralph Alessi, and a host of guitarist

" data-original-title="" title="">Mary Halvorson's musical configurations. With Rising Sun Irabagon sets his sights on getting his sound and vision out to a wider audience.

Inspired by the spiritual immensity and sanctity of America's Great Southwest, Irabagon (pictured on the album praising the big sky in Utah's Capitol Reef National Park) assembles what is undoubtedly his fiercest and most fearless ensemble since the propulsive slice of modern avant-garde Outright! Unhinged?(Irabbagast Records, 2012). Playing in league this time with Irabagon is pianist

Matt Mitchell

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Mitchell, whose angular juxtapositions and loose limbed, discordant comping both rival and compliment the saxophonist's manic, spiraling turns while drummer

Dan Weiss

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Weiss and bassist

Chris Lightcap

bass
b.1971

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Lightcap hold the mad, racing tempos.

"Sundance," Rising Sun's full steam ahead, cloud-busting opener, is a big bebop reverie with maximum energy to burn. Mitchell and Irabagon are in full flight from the get-go, whipping past each other, careening, banking, chasing the sunrise across the vast western landscape. Ditto the feverish, pulse pounding house-of-mirrors tenacity of "Alliance." "Hoodootoo" springs to life via a quirky horn pattern that Weiss then brings to a march only to have guest guitarist

Miles Okazaki

guitar
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Okazaki shred and bristle the blues to its elusive conclusion. Okazaki adds skittering excitement to the raucous fusion of the title track as well.

Borrowing from his 2021 solo outing in the desert, Bird With Steams (Irrabagast), Irabagon brings

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie's era-shaping "Bebop" to the band for an actively combustible take. On "Mammoth" and the rousing closer "Needles," trumpeter

Adam O'Farrill

trumpet
b.1994

" data-original-title="" title="">Adam O'Farrill adds his muted tones to the rich density and texture of Irabagon's swirling, many tiered compositions. In closing, Rising Sun may well be Jon Irabagon's defining statement. For now. Stay tuned.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Sundance; Alliance; Hoodootoo; Bebop; Mammoth; Rising Sun; Needles.

Personnel

Jon Irabagon

saxophone

Matt Mitchell

piano

Chris Lightcap

bass

Dan Weiss

drums

Miles Okazaki

guitar

Adam O'Farrill

trumpet

Album information

Title: Rising Sun | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Irrabagast Records

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Jon Irabagon Concerts

Sep 17 Wed

Barry Altschul 3Dom Factor

Entropy Gallery
Santa Fe, NM

Sep 21 Sun

Jon Irabagon/Will Greene/Kevin Murray Trio

Jazz Gallery Center For The Arts
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Nov 21 Fri

Jon Irabagon Quintet

Firehouse 12
New Haven, CT

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