Alex Sipiagin
Alex Sipiagin was born on June 11, 1967 in Yaroslavl, Russia, a provincial city 150 miles from Moscow known for being home to one of Russia’s most famous opera singers, Leonid Sobinov, also Alex’s great-grand uncle. At 12 years of age, he began playing in a children's orchestra, studying under the great symphonic trumpeter and teacher, Mikhael Tsamaiev, his first inspiration. It was shortly after entering a local musical college at age 15 that Sipiagin was introduced to and inspired by what few and rare taped recordings were available in Russia of bebop and other jazz music. He knew he had to go to Moscow for a chance to learn more, and at 16 auditioned for the Moscow Music Institute, where he beat out 50 other students to get in. There he combined his classical studies with explorations into jazz. At 19 and after receiving his Baccalaureate, Sipiagin served the mandatory 2 years in the Russian army and then, upon release, continued his classical training and music studies at the Gnessin Conservatory in Moscow, earning tuition on pop gigs and recording sessions.
In 1990, Alex won first place in a Russian young jazz players’ competition in Rostov City. That same year, with Glasnost in fully sway, he visited the United States for the first time, performing with a Russian student jazz band, Green Wave, when they were asked to headline the Corpus Christi Jazz Festival in Texas. He caught the attention and ears of many, and was invited to participate in the International Louis Armstrong Competition sponsored by the Thelonius Monk Institute in Washington D.C. Other trumpeters competing were those who would later become today's prominent players such as Ryan Kaiser, Scott Wendtholt, Nicolas Payton, and others. Alex placed 4th in the competition, and was presented a Bach trumpet by the legendary Clark Terry, the trumpet which he still plays to this day.
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Album Review
- Unknown Path by Luigi Sforza
- The Latin Side of Horace Silver by Jack Bowers
- Hypersphere by Paul Rauch
- Moment of Clarity by Jack Bowers
- NoFo Skies by Mike Jurkovic
- Coming Back by Mark Sullivan
- Moments Captured by Andrew Luhn
- Days by Vincenzo Roggero
- Days by Chris Mosey
- Days by Roger Farbey
January 13, 2019
Thailand International Jazz Conference 2019: World-Class Jazz Artists...
June 27, 2012
East End Arts Presents Alex Sipiagin Quintet in Concert: Saturday,...
May 25, 2011
Trumpeter/Composer Alex Sipiagin Releases New CD on Criss Cross Jazz...
April 05, 2009
Trumpeter Alex Sipiagin Interviewed at AAJ
August 13, 2007
Bendy-Pastorius Group (Mon) David Kikoski (Tue) Titus Ribas (Wed) Alex...
Sipiagin blows modern and lyrical... -- John Fordhan, Jazz Times
(Sipiagin's) tone is taut and resonant, crisply defining the lead lines and smoothly converting them into long, free-flowing channels of melody...While he still clearly remains within the post-bop paradigm, Sipiagin is too good a leader and improviser to let that constrain the texturing and the jamming... -- Michael Pronko, Japan Times
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Albums
Calming
From: Alex Sipiagin: Live at SmallsBy Alex Sipiagin