March 2003

Alex Sipiagin Quintet
Hindsight
Criss Cross Jazz

By Larry Appelbaum

Russian trumpeter Alex Sipiagin arrived in New York in 1991 and is best known for his work with the Mingus Big Band, as well as orchestras led by George Gruntz, Gil Evans and Gil Goldstein. For his solo effort Hindsight (Criss Cross), he's assembled a knockout quintet with saxophonist Chris Potter, guitarist Adam Rogers, drummer Gene Jackson and bassist Boris Koslov (a fellow Russian expatriot). Almost all the performances here are between eight and 10 minutes, which leaves plenty of time for blowing. The thorny title track is the kind of blues with interweaving lines that musicians love. Sipiagin blows modern and lyrical on the restlessly shifting Bill Evans tune "Very Early." There's a stately version of "Reincarnation of a Lovebird" by Mingus, and an airy guitar/flugelhorn duet of "Light Blue" by Monk. The most explosive moments come during the exotic, uptempo "Linear Passage," when Jackson engages in an exhilarating duet with Potter and helps Sipiagin build to a series of climaxes.