Jon Irabagon

“The Observer”

(Concord Jazz 0888072313194)

I first encountered the saxophone playing of Jon Irabagon when I purchased a copy of “This Is Our Moosic” by the group Mostly Other People Do The Killing, the New York based, self- styled “bebop terrorist   band” led by Pennsylvania born bassist and composer Moppa Elliott.

MOPDTK take an irreverent approach to the tradition albeit one that ultimately has the utmost respect for the group’s various sources. The group update the music of Ornette Coleman, Roland Kirk and others with razor sharp playing and a punk like zeal allied to a surreal sense of humour that sees them parodying classic sixties album sleeves and penning their own tongue in cheek liner notes. Tim Owen’s review of their latest album “Forty Fort” appears elsewhere on this site and gives a good insight into the MOPDTK aesthetic.

Born in Chicago of Filipino origins Irabagon moved to New York in 2001 and graduated from the Manhattan School of Music in 2003. A remarkably versatile player and a frequent award winner he won the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition in 2008, a victory which gave his career a considerable boost.

Irabagon is one of those musicians who is in around a dozen bands at once. “The Observer” is his third outing as a leader following the quintet album “Outright!” (Innova Records) and the improvising duo album “I Don’t Hear Nothin’ But The Blues” recorded with drummer Mike Pride. He has also recorded prolifically as a sideman, most notably on four albums as a member of MOPDTK.

Irabagon is something of a rarity, a player who is equally at home on both the alto and tenor saxophones. His duo album with Pride was recorded on tenor, with MOPDTK he mainly plays alto and this is also his main horn on “The Observer”. The new record is relatively straight ahead compared to Irabagon’s MOPDTK output and may come as a bit of a surprise to listeners such as myself who only know of his playing from that perspective.

Nevertheless “The Observer” is a classy piece of work and a good advertisement for Irabagon’s abilities as both player and composer. The ten track programme includes seven originals and three outside compositions including a version of “Barfly” by the late Elmo Hope. Hope’s widow Bertha plays piano on this track, replacing Kenny Barron who appears throughout the rest of the album. Completing a core quartet are bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Victor Lewis with trumpeter Nicholas Payton also guesting on a couple of tunes. It’s a heavyweight line up that clearly demonstrates Concord’s intentions to propel Irabagon into the jazz premier league. The fact that the album was engineered by the legendary Rudy Van Gelder at his Englewood Cliffs Studio in New Jersey only adds weight to this assumption.

Although this is a relatively mainstream date Irabagon’s playing still has an edge that gives it a contemporary relevance. He is an astonishingly fluent improviser with a flawless technique and his playing has been compared to Charlie Parker, Paul Desmond, Cannonball Adderley, Lee Konitz and others. In other words he’s the consummate alto saxophonist and when he switches to the larger horn he evokes comparisons with a whole raft of great tenor players too.

He receives great support from his rhythm team on this album. Barron, Reid and Lewis once worked as a unit with the great Stan Getz and the trio make a great team, sympathetic to each other’s playing as well as to the needs of the featured soloist. The quartet purr their way through the silky syncopations of the opening “January Dream” with the relaxed Barron sharing the solo honours with Irabagon’s alto.

“Joy’s Secret” injects a greater sense of urgency and introduces an additional instrumental voice in the form of Nicholas Payton on trumpet. Lewis’ Latin infected rhythms keep the pot simmering gently and help to frame memorable solos from Irabagon, Barron and Payton. It’s a typically classy performance all round with the drummer making a key contribution at the heart of the music.

Gigi Gryce’s rarely heard ballad “The Infant’s Song” opens with a delightful duet between Irabagon and Reid. In yet another excellent quartet performance Barron is beautifully lyrical on piano with Reid responding at the bass. Lewis’ is suitably sympathetic with a well judged performance mainly utilising brushes.

Tom McIntosh’s “Cup Bearers” is a more dynamic performance that sees the quartet exploring more overtly bebop territory. Irabagon’s solo is fast and inventive, quicksilver phrases delivered with a remarkable purity of tone. Lewis gets the chance to demonstrate his chops with an imperious drum feature. Highly impressive all round.

Irabagon switches to tenor for the title tack and he proves to be just as fluent on the larger horn. The tune lopes along at mid tempo and also frames a solo from Barron and a series of breaks from Lewis. It’s not the most memorable theme on the album but it’s a good showcase of the leader’s tenor credentials.

“Acceptance” is a gorgeous alto ballad which features some of Irabagon’s most tender playing and a Reid’s bass solo combining resonance and lyricism.

The saxophonist switches back to tenor for the breezy “Makai And Tacoma”, a kind of bop meets bossa outing that features fine solos from Irabagon and Barron.

“Big Jim’s Twins” represents the second pairing of Irabagon’s alto and Payton’s trumpet. It’s a fast paced tune that owes something to the hard bop tradition with brightly sparkling solos coming from Payton and Irabagon. Both men exhibit a dazzling fluency at these high tempos and their unison horn lines are as delightful as their solos. This piece represents the group at their most playful and there is a lively feature for Lewis, the drummer positively effervescent as he solos over Barron’s piano comping.

The next piece comes as a total contrast. The ballad “Barfly” by the late pianist Elmo Hope (1923-67) is played as a moving and lyrical duet by Irabagon on alto and Hope’s widow Bertha at the piano. Irabagon’s playing is both flawless and inventive in this exposed situation and in many respects this is THE key track on the record.

Perhaps appropriately the album concludes with “Closing Arguments”, the most contemporary sounding piece on the record with the leader extemporising above the gently unfolding rhythms of his colleagues. Barron impresses again as he does throughout and Reid and Lewis offer suitably empathic support.

Immaculately recorded and brilliantly and often beautifully played “The Observer” is an album that deserves to establish Irabagon as one of the leading contemporary saxophonists. He’s at his best on alto but nevertheless doubles very convincingly on tenor and his stellar rhythm team make him sound good throughout.

If there’s a complaint about “The Observer” it’s that as an album it plays things fairly safe. Having heard Irabagon in another, edgier context I couldn’t help feeling that this mainstream context was a little too smooth for a man of his capabilities. Having said that he’s aiming for an entirely different effect to MOPDTK and in this respect he succeeds brilliantly. It would seem that Mr. Irabagon is something of a musical chameleon which makes him a musician to be followed with particular interest.

Jon Irabagon plays a solo set at London’s Vortex Jazz Club on the evening of Friday 27th August 2010, part of a Loop Collective night also featuring British bassist Dave Mannington and his band Riff Raff.

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