"Horizons": Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin's Musical Message About A New Start

Alex Sipiagin: Horizons; Blue Room Music

For years the trumpeter Alex Sipiagin has become a first-call session and section player in the world of modern jazz and pop music. Spiagin was born in Yaroslav, Russia a town approximately 160 miles north- east of Moscow. He attended trumpet lessons at the age of twelve and studied at the Moscow Music Institute and the Gnessin Conservatory where he received his baccalaureate degree. At the age of twenty-three, Sipiagin came to the U.S. in 1990 competing in the International Louis Armstrong contest sponsored by the Thelonious Monk Institute and received top honors. Despite the honors, the young man  wanted to establish his creditability to himself and others. That same year he relocated to New York City, the cauldron of competitiveness, and found his first employment in the orchestra of prestigious composer/arranger Gil Evans.  It didn't take long for his inherent talents to get him to become part of Gil Goldstein's Zebra Coast Orchestra, George Grunz's Jazz Band, drummer Bob Moses' Mozamba, the Charles Mingus Big Band, the Mingus Dynasty and Mingus Orchestra groups as well as bassist Dave Holland's Big Band, Sextet and Octet groups to name a few.

This prolific trumpeter was making a name for himself as one of the most accomplished, tasteful, and fiery players on the scene. In 2003, he started a relationship with the saxophonist Michael Brecker, recording and touring with Brecker's Dectet -which won a Grammy for the album Wide Angles-and  with Brecker's Sextet. Alex's first recording as a leader was made in 1996 and released in 1997. Titled Images,  it is an auspicious debut with an eclectic group of up and coming musicians including altoist David Binny, bassist Scott Colley, pianist Gil Goldstein, guitarist Adam Rogers, percussionist Kenny Wollesen and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter. Many of these musicians would grow together and often collaborate over the years. Sipiagin's in demand trumpet sound was also used in recordings by pop artists Eric Clapton, Michael Franks, Elvis Costello and Dr. John. Sipiagin is also a founding member of the group Opus 5 which features saxophonist Seamus Blake, pianist Dave Kikoski, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer  Donald Edwards and has released five records on the Criss Cross label.

Alex Sipiagin photo credit Vladimir Korobitsyn

I've seen Sipiagin perform as an important trumpet voice of the Mingus Big Band at the Jazz Standard and have been delighted by his work as a vibrant session and solo player for Conrad Herwig's Latin Side albums. His own releases,  particularly his two Positone releases Upstream  which made my Notes on Jazz Best of 2021 list and Ascent to the Blues have both shown an ever ascending artist who never ceases to push the boundaries of the music as a  musician/composer. 

Sipiagin's latest release is titled Horizons and was released in May of this year on Blue Room Music label. Alex has been in New York for over thirty years and  was a educator at NYU for seven of those years. He and his wife decided it was time for a change and they relocated to northern Italy in 2020 to the town of Sandrigo, in the province Vincenzo, Veneto.  The album carries a theme inspired by Sipiagin's  move to Italy, the disruption of uprooting yourself,  reflections of things accomplished, and the expectations of new horizons, of what is to come.

On Horizons, Alex has enlisted some of the familiar faces from his past records. The tenor sax flame thrower Chris Potter joins with his energized tenor and sinewy soprano saxophone. John Escreet brings his piano chops, his Rhodes sensitivity and deft synthesizer talents.  Bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Eric Harland together create a formidable rhythm section as well as two versatile solo artists in their own right.

The album features two songs penned by guitarist virtuoso Pat Metheny and six Sipiagin compositions. The opener is Metheny's smoker "While You Were Looking" which the guitarist offered with the intent of making this one a  technical challenge. The serpentine opening finds Sipiagin's penetrating trumpet in sync with Potter's tart tenor, matching impossibly complicated lines with sterling aplomb and accuracy before the two trade solos all driven by Brewer and Harland's syncopated drive. Sipiagin soars over Escreet's airy-like synth touches as he rises to heights that seem to fly up to the stratosphere. Potter offers a rhythmically fragmented solo that shrieks and simmers in unexpected ways as Escreet's flowing piano work adds depth to the mix. This one has a fusion-era like feel that reaches back but at the same time forging forward into new territory. 

"Overseen" is a gorgeous Sipiagin ballad that features Escreet on Rhodes and Potter on soprano.  Alex is on his flugelhorn here and his interplay with Potter is a real treat. These two have a telepathic connection when they play in unison. Potter has a Shorter-like feel here and Harland's distinct drum work accentuates and Brewers bass compliments the music with wisdom and style. You can just feel yourself getting drawn into a blanket of sumptuousness. There is some notable Rhodes work by Escreet with the rhythm section to the coda.

"Clean Cut," a reference to Sipiagin's move to Italy, finds the trumpeter, Potter and Escreet on his synth following each other in another circuitous route of music that never ceases to have surprises. Just like one might experience in a major life move. Potter's tenor is jagged, muscular and adventurous, Escreet's piano work flows with speed and artistry, Brewer's bass is like an anchoring force that moves with the flow but never leaves you stranded. At about the five minutes mark Alex's trumpet offers a superb solo with unlimited range, flawless execution and unquenchable creative artistry. This man can play. Harland is featured on an explosive solo that erupts with power and rhythmic inventiveness. 

Another Sipiagin composition, "Jumping Ahead," is reportedly inspired by Brazilian composer/ multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascal whose penchant for repetitive melodies and harmonies are deployed here. The group spells out the recurring lines led by the front line and accentuated with Brewer's buoyant bass solo. Alex's trumpet negotiates the ostinato with a flowing solo that percolates with excitement and promise. Its  anxious but invigorating to be moving forward with a new path in your life. Potter adds some flute lines at the coda over Harland's bubbling drum work.

"When Is It Now?" is the second Metheny composition on this album. The ballad finds Sipiagin on his emotive flugelhorn, Potter on tenor and Escreet on  piano all weaving their instruments into a tapestry of contemplation and reflection. 

"Lost" is another Sipiagin composition that is representative of some of Alex's feeling s that he experienced in his move to Italy. Sipiagin's trumpet wanders over the syncopated rhythm as he is finding his way in a new land with new surroundings, leaving some of his long established relationships back in N.Y. and trying to find a new equilibrium in his new home. The rhythm section bubbles like a simmering crucible, Potter's tenor pleads and cries. Eventually, Escreet's crystalline Rhodes work lends the music a dream-like feel to this journey.

Sipiagin offers a three piece suite of songs titled "Horizons 1," Horizons 2," and "Horizons 3." The three explore tones, color, freedom, expansion and expression. "Horizon 1" is free and loose. "Horizon 2" is a space-like experience of sounds led by Escreet's  synth atmospheric sounds, Sipiagin's muted trumpet cries and Potter's soprano has a avian feel as Brewer and Harland provide the percussive sound effects. "Horizon 3" has a rhythmic drive over which Potter and Sipiagin intertwine there sounds as Escreet adds effects. There is an expression of relief here, a release from angst and an acceptance of the possibilities of an untethered future.

The final composition is titled AIVA-tion, a reference to a local bar/cafe that Sipiagin found in his new hometown of Sandrigo. The crowd sound opens and is happy, the feeling is inviting and the future looks bright. The piece has a laid back hip, cosmopolitan sound that exudes a feeling of cool contentment. Escreet's Rhodes leads the path with a glimmering sound, Sipiagin's trumpet flies like a free bird, Potter's tenor responds in like as Brewer's bass and Harland's drums lay down the groove. Italy should be a blast!