John Hagen

John Hagen: Segments

by Ty Cumbie
May 28, 2005

Segments begins well. John Hagen's tenor tone is rich and strong, his phrasing warm and soulful. Shanir Blumenkranz strums droning clusters of bass notes over drummer Todd Capp's free pulse. The piece rumbles and rolls along for ten pleasant minutes before gliding to a gentle finish. Track two introduces the second of several band configurations featured on the recording: pianist Denman Maroney, bassist Mark Dresser, and drummer Gerry Hemingway. On most of the pieces, snatches of Hagen's compositions, or “segments, ...