It is often the situation that when an album is full of irresistible standards the originals get forgotten about. But when you buy into the performance fundamentally beyond the material because you like the way they do things you end up digging the originals especially if they seem in keeping with the flow of the whole thing no matter how they sound. Now there are dangers in this and something can become a period piece or just made to sound like some standard or other via a nifty contrafact or near rewrite for instance.
Not here. The other observation worth making before diving in to this 2021 studio recording from trumpeter Alex Sipiagin's quintet is that it is refreshing when a leader is a side player on someone else's record especially when they are a global sax icon like Chris Potter. And it isn't just that that not-outta-Hogwarts wiz is doing ever so 'umble sideman cosplay either by not making his presence count because the saxophonist also contributes the delightful 'Maritima'. All the other players on Mel's Vision are leaders too: Johnathan Blake excellent on Blue Note in recent years is at the kit; pianist David Kikoski reviewed in these pages this week on an uptempo Cole Porter romp with Joe Locke; and Matt Brewer on bass as inventive as ever complete the quintet. As for the official leader Sipiagin few have such an expressive tone on high notes and the American of Russian heritage is also one of the most quick wittted hardbop trumpeters around no matter how straightahead the situation.
It's interesting that there are two takes on Ornette Coleman's 'Bird Food' here both extremely good so maybe that is the point at keeping them both in. The topical element from today's point of view - although the recording pre-dates the war in Europe - is the Ukrainian folk song that fits perfectly in the running order. The title track 'Mel's Vision' is Sipiagin's own tune, the style pervasively hard bop but because Blake is a lively time keeper not too daddio or dog eared. Best of all is the take on Don Friedman's 'Summer's End' which is far better than any version I've heard by Friedman. It's a lovely tune. Pieces by McCoy Tyner, another of Sipiagian's and Mingus' 'Peggy's Blue Skylight' also beat it on to the record. The only thing against the album is it's a bit too generic as textbook approaches however effective weirdly often can be. Nevertheless Criss Cross continues its very strong release pattern recently. Here the loose but effective arranging is a big factor and the blend of superlative talents who know the idiom inside out make the effect as satisfying and unexpected as spring sunshine.
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L-r: Johnathan Blake, Matt Brewer, Alex Sipiagin, David Kikoski, Chris Potter. Photo: from the Criss Cross sleeve. The album is out on 27 January.
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