PlainsPeak

Jon Irabagon
Server Farm
Irabbagast Records 029

Although both are titled with sibilants, saxophonist Jon Irabagon accomplished recent discs couldn’t be more different. Irabagon, who besides leading his own band has been part of groups with Barry Altschul and Dave Douglas, composed all the tunes for two distinct ensembles. Server Farm featuring a tentet of accomplished New York associates is Irabagon’s electro-acoustic adaption with the horns and drums shaking space with electric guitars, electronic keyboards and laptop programming. Someone to Someone on the other hand credited to PlainsPeak is a billet doux to Chicago, the saxophonist’s hometown where he returned in 2021 and features his Windy City quartet members: trumpeter Russ Johnson, bassist Clarke and drummer Dana Hall.

Irabagon, who plays tenor and sopranino saxophones during Server Farm doesn’t let the plug-ins overwhelm the program. What this farm serves up are sounds that are  surging and swinging. Harmonized as often as they’re contrapuntal. That means triplets from the highest range of Pere Evans’ trumpet, Mazz Swift’s spiccato violin and horn riffs are as upfront as often as the flanges and dial-twisting from the guitars of Miles Okazaki and Wendy Eisenberg.

Additionally, two of the strongest tracks, “Routers” and “Graceful Exit” are introduced with acute acoustic interludes. The second is shaped by looming arco strokes from bassist Michael Formanek, atop wave form jiggles and slick portamento brass. Meanwhile “Routers” contrasts the graduated gong echoes of the Philippine kulintang played by Levy Lorenzo with bluesy honks and slurs from the saxophonist followed by stop-time variations which contrast foghorn-like vamps, string clips with gong resonation on top.

Ironically Lorenzo’s vibraphone slaps not only animate the session, but his electronics’ programmed static intensify the amplified sheen created by the guitarists, electric bassist Chris Lightcap’s pulsations and Matt Mitchell’s juddering throbs from two different keyboards.

The off-enter and threatening oscillations set up by “Graceful Exit” and resolved in the final “Spy” as Swift’s doomy voice mutters half-hear dystopic lyrics into a near cacophony of brass whines, smeared reed doits and an electric bass groove that keeps the sequence horizontal.

Moving westwards to the Second City, Someone to Someone’s tracks are as celebratory as the other disc’s are ominous. Mostly bouncy and lyrical, propelled by bass string ambulation and drum rebounds, half-valve brass squeezes and gargling reed ripples maintain the mood as the saxophonist lauds Chi-Towns’s garlic pizzas, tart liqueur and transportation among others. The looseness is expressed in Irabagon’s switch to alto saxophone which produce boiling freebop as well as hocketing scoops and harsh reed bites. He may bend and choke notes on “At What a Price Garlic” in tandem with Johnson’s brass squirts and smears, but staccato screeches finally pick up the unvarying string pulse to recap the theme.

With boiling reed lines and trumpet advances that boomerang from brassy snarls to plunger allows and portamento continuum, the saxophonist has found a sympathetic partner, whether outlining a Blues march (“Buggin’ the Bug”) or mournful reflections (“Tiny Miracles”). The bassist provides a steadying force and the drummer’s rhythmic adaptability is saluted on “The Pulseman”.

Irabagon has found a supportive situation in the mid-west. Judging from invention exhibited on these discs, let’s see if in future he adapts a New York minute to Central Standard Time.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Server: 1. Colocation 2. Routers 3. Singularities 4. Graceful Exit 5. Spy

Personnel: Server: Peter Evans (trumpet, flugelhorn); Jon Irabagon (tenor, sopranino saxophones, effects); Matt Mitchell (piano, Fender Rhodes, Prophet-6); Mazz Swift (violin, vocals); Miles Okazaki, Wendy Eisenberg (guitar); Michael Formanek (bass); Chris Lightcap (electric bass); Dan Weiss (drums); Levy Lorenzo (kulintang, vibraphone, laptop, electronics)

Track Listing: Someone: 1. Someone to Someone 2. Buggin’ the Bug 3. Malort is my Shepherd 4. At What a Price Garlic 5. Tiny Miracles (at funeral for a friend) 6, The Pulseman 7. The Original One

Personnel: Someone: Russ Johnson (trumpet); Jon Irabagon (alto saxophone); Clarke Sommers (bass) and Dana Hall (drums)