Jon Irabagon: Self-Motivated And Inner-Directed

Self-motivated and inner-directed as he is, saxophonist/composer Jon Irabagon has navigated his career path with his very own sense of logic. And, peculiar as that may seem to some, his body of work is like a memorable improvisation, resolving itself at various junctures, just when those various vagaries would seem to preclude such action. So it is with Focus Out and Saturday's Child—while the latter might seem to render the former too conventional for its own good, the duo title actually shines light on the nuance(s) of the foursome's release. In that way, a pair of titles that could at first appear polar opposites morph into perfectly complementary pieces of work. Ultimately, these two artistic efforts, like the spontaneity that pervades them both, open up possibilities for future avenues of creativity fro Irabagon and whoever he chooses to collaborate with.

Jon Irabagon
Focus Out
Irabbagast Records
2026

The pungent clarity of the musicianship developed by Irabagon and company on Focus Out is in keeping not only with the deceptively orthodox arrangements, but also the transparent sonics enabled by engineers Chris Benham (recordist) and Sam Minaie (editor/mixer/mastering agent). Vocals like those of Kokayi on "Paper Planes" might thus seem intrusive if the audio didn't balance the instrumentation so that the leader's saxophone, as well as Chris Lightcap's bass, didn't retain equity within the conversational exchanges on these half-dozen cuts (plus the bonus track on CD of "Center Post"). The convivial atmosphere is so palpable on "Evening Star," for instance, that it is well nigh impossible not to remain immersed in these potent dialogues after the slight digression of the aforementioned singing (and its counterpart "Indigo Stains"). And the raucous contributions of tenormen Mark Shim and Danny McCaslin on that number only add to the celebratory nature of the individual and collective playing. As unobtrusive as is drummer Dan Weiss—more felt than heard throughout—pianist Matt Mitchell's work on the penultimate "Prayer (for Reomi)" nonetheless lends an appropriately emphatic finality to the album's closure.

Jon Irabagon and Dan Oestricher
Saturday's Child
Irabbagast Records
2026

A step to the right of Jon Irabagon's pure solo album, Inaction Is An Action (Irabbagast Records, 2015), Saturday's Child features the man with the horn on a new instrument, the bass saxophone, in a live setting with like-minded counterpart Dan Oestreicher (of Trombone Shorty's Orleans Avenue ensemble). No great traditionalist per se, the latter practitioner of the same low-end instrument brings the often playful ethos of his New Orleans base of operations to the stage, eliciting a whimsy from his counterpart all too often left latent in efforts such as Behind The Sky (Irabbagast Records, 2015). As purposeful as they are patient, these two adventuresome musicians create no small amount of suspense via tracks like the title song: giving little or no inkling about how they will resolve their dialogue(s), Irabagon and Oestreicher nonetheless deliver assertive punctuation to their individual and paired trains of thought. In this sense, their interactions mirror the colorful cover art by Xalyra Irabagon, evincing an unself-conscious joy, including those moments special guest percussionist Mike Pride joins in on the recording's bonus cut, a radio edit of "Sugar Rush."

Tracks and Personnel

Focus Out

Tracks: Morning Star; Focus Out; Paper Planes; Evening Star; Indigo Stains; Prayer (for Reomi); Center Post.

Personnel: Jon Irabagon: alto saxophone; Matt Mitchell: piano, Fender Rhodes; Kokayi: vocals; Dave Ballou: trumpet; Miles Okazaki: guitar; Donny McCaslin: tenor saxophone; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Chris Lightcap: electric bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

Saturday's Child

Tracks: Mood Swings; Daycare Infantry; Medley: Molasses Candyland/Tag/Gripe; Waking Dreams; Sugar Rush; Sugar Rush (Radio Edit).

Personnel: Jon Irabagon: bass saxophone; Dan Ostreicher: bass saxophone; bass flute.

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