Alex Sipiagin

Alex Sipiagin – Mel´s Vision (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:11:16 minutes | 1,53 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Criss Cross Jazz

Since he emigrated to the United States from Russia in 1991, Alex Sipiagin has earned an exalted international reputation as a no-technical-limits improvisor, sustaining a gorgeous sound throughout the trumpet’s registral range, navigating harmonic and rhythmic complexity with precision, passion, and abiding lyricism.

Most of Sipiagin’s previous albums showcase his contrapuntal, harmonically comprehensive compositions, full of interesting melodic twists and turns. On them, the projects the same voice that

For his new release, Mel’s Vision, the 55-year-old master – joined by A-listers tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist David kikoski, bassist Matt Brewer and drummer Johnathan Blake – contributes two wonderful originals. But Alex addresses the session primarily as an opportunity to focus on interpreting music by others – a song by Potter, a Ukrainian folk song and four rarely covered gems from the jazz canon.
(more…)

Alex Sipiagin – Ascent to the Blues (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:08:11 minutes | 1,28 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Posi-Tone Records

The sky is well within reach when trumpet player extraordinaire Alex Sipiagin sets his sights on the summit and heads off upward in an Ascent to the Blues for his second release on Posi-Tone Records. The session features the focused wizardry of Sipiagin’s incisive technique, gripping tonality and hard hitting melodicism are countered cleverly against the curvature of contributions from Diego Rivera on tenor saxophone, the cool complexities of Art Hirahara on piano, the steady underpinnings of Boris Kozlov on bass, and the bombastic metrics of Rudy Royston on drums and percussion. While the album program remains decidedly straight forward and rooted in the blues throughout, the music is also elegantly lyrical and brilliantly evocative of a truly modern jazz sensibility. With a flawless combination of effortless mastery and brilliant performances, Sipiagin’s “Ascent to the Blues” reaches steadily upward toward new heights and provides a clear pathway of inspirational bright moments for jazz fans everywhere to joyfully ascend again and again.

(more…)

Alex Sipiagin – Upstream (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 54:54 minutes | 1,06 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Posi-Tone Records

Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin has grown tremendously in recent years – and a record like this is a fantastic demonstration of his talents as both an instrumentals and as a composer – and also as a leader of a very well-matched group! The combo is a quartet, but soar out with a spirit that makes you feel like you’re hearing the energy of a much larger ensemble – a quality that maybe comes in part from the work of pianist Art Hirihara, who always seems to have this grand sense of flow – driven on strongly here by the bass of Boris Kozlov and drums of Rudy Royston! Sipiagin is majestic throughout – able to fly to the heavens at some points, but then be very down to earth and personal at others – on titles that include “Sight”, “Call”, “Rain”, “Shura”, “Echo Canyon”, “Upstream”, and “Magic Square”.

(more…)