Chicago Approaches! by Matt Riggen Quintet
This is one of 3 albums I recorded in the space of 2 months back in 2015. The first was OGC's 'Acrostic', the second was the Liberation Music Collective's 'Siglo XXI', and this was the third. Health problems and the related momentum of life has kept this record deep in the vault until much later, but here it is finally ready for release.
Going back over this record, I remember none of the anxieties that helped keep it in the dark for so long. I just hear myself, so happy to be playing with musicians I loved and admired, and them responding in kind over my tunes.
I knew even then I was moving to Chicago, so inspired by a 2014 visit I composed a loose suite of related tunes, some about family ('Come Visit' refers to an exhortation from my Great-Uncle Johnny and his wife--Johnny has passed but his wife still lives in the city), some about an ongoing fixation on life in the concrete jungle (Crosswalk, Alley Ecology), and some about growing old amongst friends (Old Men at Play, Assisted).
Releasing this album represents something of a personal triumph, and it feels good to have it out. Direct apologies to Alex Young, who was asking when I'd release this back in 2016. Oops, love you bud.
--MDR
Tracklist
| 1. | Come Visit | 7:28 |
| 2. | Assisted | 6:11 |
| 3. | Good For You (I, Duet Phase) | 1:06 |
| 4. | Lullaby in A Loft | 7:11 |
| 5. | Crosswalk (As Seen by a City Pigeon) | 5:33 |
| 6. | Good For You (II, Piano Phase) | 1:11 |
| 7. | Alley Ecology | 5:09 |
| 8. | Old Men At Play | 11:27 |
Credits
Matt Riggen: Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Alex Young: Tenor Saxophone
Evan Main: Piano
Bobby Scharmann: Upright Bass
Josh Roberts: Drumset (2, 4, 7)
Sam Bryson: Drumset (1, 4, 5, 8)
Recorded at Airtime Studios, Spring 2015
