It Takes All Kinds (feat. Barry Altschul & Mark Helias) [Live]

The 2008 Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition winner, Jon Irabagon, has studied under a varied but impressive list of mentors that goes from Wynton Marsalis to Roscoe Mitchell, and he’s also worked with non-jazz folks like Bright Eyes and Billy Joel. *It Takes All Kinds* is a classic example of adventurous improvised jazz. Recorded live in 2013, the album opens with the playful stop-and-start “Wherewithal,” where the trio works through a series of ideas. “Vestiges” has more of a groove at its heart that supports Irabagon’s riff-based flights. Irabagon’s best performance on the album, “Quintessential Kitten,” opens with a long solo section by the saxophonist before the band kicks into a gambit that alternates a feathery melody and a grinding riff until the saxophonist bears down and closes things with a long passage of circular breathing. Bassist Mark Helias shines with his own solo on “Cutting Corners,” which is followed by a nice turn from drummer Barry Altschul on “Unconditional.” Definitely one for fans of free-ranging jazz trios.