-----------------------

DON'T MODIFY THIS FILE

-----------------------

PERFORMER: auCDtect Task Manager, ver. 1.5.1RC4 build 1.5.1.5Copyright (c) 2008-2010 y-soft. All rights reservedhttp://y-soft.org

ANALYZER: auCDtect: CD records authenticity detector, version 0.8.2Copyright (c) 2004 Oleg Berngardt. All rights reserved.Copyright (c) 2004 Alexander Djourik. All rights reserved.

FILE: 07 - Meu Canario Vizinho Azul.flac Size: 35225979 Hash: 9CFF993B91924F3F6C81C7C00F028E15 Accuracy: -m0 Conclusion: CDDA 100% Signature: BB6FFDA5715FAB64C70F835CE28840CC884C06F2FILE: 06 - Fast Forward.flac Size: 75990684 Hash: 54BF63C5C21192714B5540474FD2FCBD Accuracy: -m0 Conclusion: CDDA 100% Signature: 322041DE369DB94C3BE87C82A3E90A4EB3F156D2FILE: 05 - Calming.flac Size: 65495629 Hash: 2626C9FFBEB91FDD965A9D87EE14861D Accuracy: -m0 Conclusion: CDDA 100% Signature: 34BA49A9C7A116CE1DD583C37848F0E5F3A61E66FILE: 04 - Fermata Scandola.flac Size: 69820459 Hash: 76A6A1448EF98E1A6FE8B6EA71FCC460 Accuracy: -m0 Conclusion: CDDA 100% Signature: E2BF68E591473DD94962601099B4513471560BD0FILE: 03 - Tempest in A Tea Cup.flac Size: 76084691 Hash: 65B3FE5B3554740834322059E27B88DF Accuracy: -m0 Conclusion: CDDA 99% Signature: F6C42CF6DDC66957C889038013EC647996349D6EFILE: 02 - Videlles.flac Size: 75059852 Hash: C8029B8077E10FFAC9C27D5F2CCD4B05 Accuracy: -m0 Conclusion: CDDA 100% Signature: B11F2537CF7BDD0A0727B3927092ED925A1A7203FILE: 01 - Next Stop - Tsukiji.flac Size: 56332092 Hash: 80A4B5F1A5C4E997E8CBC3E43C3217F4 Accuracy: -m0 Conclusion: CDDA 100% Signature: A067B0DB4B8E122863C4801FC7CA452FDA91BEE8

Many people in the jazz world associate trumpeter Alex Sipiagin with the Charles Mingus ghost band, but the albums he has recorded under his own name haven't been especially Mingus-minded, and that is true of Destinations Unknown, which finds the Russian trumpeter leading a sextet that includes Chris Potter on tenor sax, David Binney on alto sax, Craig Taborn on acoustic piano and electric keyboards, Boris Kozlov on upright bass, and Eric Harland on drums. Any album that features Potter extensively is usually worth hearing, and this 2011 recording is no exception. Sipiagin gives Potter plenty of solo space, which is a definite plus; Sipiagin was lucky to have Potter as a sideman. But Binney is an equally valuable contributor to Destinations Unknown, and Sipiagin skillfully oversees a three-horn front line (trumpet and two saxophones) on a session that spotlights original compositions and doesn't contain any standards at all. The post-bop material tends to be on the cerebral side; that is true of "Tempest in the Tea Cup" and "Videlles," as well as "Fast Forward," "Calming," "Next Stop: Tsukiji," and "Fermata Scondola." But like a lot of jazz albums that thrive on complexity and intellect, Destinations Unknown reveals more and more of its charms with each listen. It should be noted that Sipiagin employs both acoustic and electric instruments on this album; the trumpeter isn't shy about letting Taborn solo on electric keyboards as well as acoustic piano. And yet, this release doesn't really venture into fusion territory; despite Taborn's presence on electric keyboards at times, Destinations Unknown is essentially a post-bop album rather than a fusion album. It is also a skillful demonstration of what Sipiagin has to offer as a trumpeter, composer, and group leader. (Alex Henderson)

Life on the road can often wear musicians down, but it can also inspire them to great heights. Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin's travels took him to Taiwan, Spain, Italy, France, Japan and Holland in the months preceding the recording session for this album in January, 2011 and each one of those locales helped to stir his creative impulses. This gripping session of heart-pounding jazz, which possesses the edge and attitude delivered by New York modernists, is the end result of a compositional process that began in each one of those distant places, and Sipiagin's sojourns in foreign lands helped to produce what may very well be his most bracing music yet.

The three-horn frontline from the trumpeters' Equilibrium (Criss Cross, 2009), featuring alto saxophonist David Binney and tenor saxophonist Chris Potter, is reunited here, and sparks fly frequently. When all three men collide, they craft snaking lines that weave and bob in vibrant fashion ("Videlles"), but it only takes two to tango, as demonstrated by Potter and Binney on Sipiagin's "Fast Forward." Both saxophonists take pleasure in giving one another a near-simultaneous tongue-lashing as their flights of fancy reach fever pitch.

While Sipiagin's shared history with both saxophonists certainly contributes to the frenetic-but-focused sound of the frontline, it's his relationship with the rhythm section that helps to shape the music from the ground up. Bassist Boris Kozlov and Sipiagin have shared more than record dates, with both men having attended the Gnessin Conservatory in Moscow together and rooming together after they came to the United States in the '90s, and Kozlov is completely locked into his longtime friend's musical mindset. His bass riffs help to establish direction in odd-metered surroundings ("Videlles" and "Fermata Scandola") and his hook-up with drummer Eric Harland is palpable.

Harland—who has worked with Sipiagin in bassist Dave Holland's sextet—continues to be the sorcerer of kaleidoscopic groove-tweaking, as he constantly toys with the beat using expansive rhythmic ideals and his stellar technique to serve each song. Craig Taborn's Fender Rhodes often shimmers in a relaxed fashion, in deference to the more heated statements from the horn players, but he cooks—albeit with a slightly lower flame—when it counts ("Fermata Scandola"). When he switches to piano, as on the mystical and propulsive "Fast Forward," his playing takes on a paranoid intensity that fires up the rest of the band.

While the lengthy works on this album prove to be complex labyrinths of time, space and sound, they never lose direction. Sipiagin's trumpet serves as the compass that always points in the right direction, as his band travels to Destinations Unknown. (Dan Bilawsky)