Jazz Lecturer, New York University
Jazz festivals worldwide have seen Alex Sipiagin performing with the likes of Dave Holland, Michael Brecker, the Mingus groups, and many more. Born on June 11, 1967 in Yaroslavl, Russia, Alex began studying the trumpet at age 12, at the Moscow Music Institute and the Gnesin Conservatory in Moscow where he received his Baccalaureate. In 1990, Alex participated in the International Louis Armstrong Competition sponsored by the Thelonius Monk Institute in Washington DC, winning top honors. He has since relocated to New York City.
Very soon, Alex became a favored player for various bands including the Gil Evans Orchestra, Gil Goldstein’s Zebra Coast Orchestra, the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band, drummer Bob Moses’ band Mozamba, the Mingus Big Band as well as the Mingus Dynasty and Mingus Orchestra, and the Dave Holland Big Band, Sextet and Octet groups.
In 2003 he recorded with Michael Brecker’s Quindectet, touring also with the Michael Brecker Sextet. Alex has also worked with Eric Clapton, DrJohn, Aaron Neville, Elvis Costello, Michael Franks, Dave Sanborn, Deborah Cox, legendary producer Phil Ramone, Gonzalo Rubalcaba among other artistes. Many of the recordings he has been involved in have been nominated for and/or won at the Grammy Awards. He is part of the Grammy award-winning albums by the Dave Holland Big Band, “What Goes Around” and “Overtime,” Michael Brecker Quindectet’s “Wide Angles,” and most recently the Dafnis Prieto Big Band’s “Into the Sunset”.
As a soloist, Sipiagin has more than twenty recordings to his credit including having jazz greats such as Mulgrew Miller and Chris Potter featured in them. He has toured extensively throughout Europe, the United States, Asia and Russia with his own group. He holds a professorship at New York University (NYU), and has residencies at the Amsterdam Conservatory and Academy of Music in Basel Switzerland.
Alex Sipiagin has recorded 15 solo albums for the prestigious jazz label “CrissCross- Jazz,” including an album of his compositions and arrangements “Balance 38-58” featuring noted musicians such as Eric Harland, David Binney, Adam Rogers and Matt Brewer. His recent album titled “Moments Captured” features notable musicians Chris Potter, Eric Harland, John Escreet, Matt Brewer, Will Vinson and the up-and-coming Alina Engibaryan. September 2018 saw the production of Alex’s newest album titled “NoFo Skies,” which was released in April last year, reprising the same artists from “Moments Captured.” In end 2020, Alex recorded another solo album titled “Upstream” with the Positone Label, featuring a mix of his new original compositions, originals by his band members Art Hirahara, Boris Kozlov, Rudy Royston and standards from Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter and Mulgrew Miller.
