(Modern Creative, Post-Bop, Free Jazz, Nine Winds) Slumgum feat. Hugh Ragin - The Sky His Own (WEB) - 2012, FLAC (tracks), lossless

Nine Winds Records is proud to announce the release of The Sky His Own by Slumgum featuring Hugh Ragin. A homegrown favorite of the Los Angeles jazz scene, Slumgum has won acclaim for their electrifying performances and wildly imaginative original repertoire. On their new album, Slumgum is joined by virtuoso trumpeter Hugh Ragin. A uniquely versatile jazz musician, Ragin is equally at home playing bebop and avant-garde improvisation. His illustrious career includes historic collaborations with artists such as Roscoe Mitchell, Clark Terry, David Murray, and Sun Ra. Ragin and Slumgum’s collaboration bridges generations and brings together an ensemble with a shared passion for adventurous music-making. Original compositions by each band member give rise to far-ranging improvisation. The result is a vital tapestry of moods and textures that reflects their sheer joy in playing together.
“[Slumgum’s] vivid sense of melody and relentless drive for exploration mark it as a quartet to watch.” –Chris Barton, The Los Angeles Times

"Slumgum’s compositional and instrumental abilities put it in the very top echelon of forward-looking, up-and-coming jazzers." –Dave Wayne, allaboutjazz.com
slum•gum (slŭm'gŭm) n. 1. A term used in beekeeping, slumgum is the impure residue, consisting of cocoons, propolis, etc., remaining after the wax is extracted from honeycombs. 2. "An outstanding risk-taking jazz quartet from Los Angeles" -(Gabe Meline, North Bay Bohemian)
Slumgum is a perpetually inventive quartet of adventurous musicians. The bandтАЩs unique voice is shaped by unbridled imagination and diverse influences that include jazz, free improvisation, world music, and modern classical music. They collaborate with a facility and playfulness that is rare for an ensemble, giving their musical curiosity room to explode and yielding daring results. All of these qualities find a home in the bandтАЩs innovative and colorful compositions. Performing live, Slumgum delivers their original music with spontaneity and a blend of grit and finesse. For the audience, Slumgum's exhilarating music projects their sheer joy in playing together.

Jon Armstrong: Tenor Sax
Rory Cowal: Piano
David Tranchina: Bass
Trevor Anderies: Drums.
Hugh Ragin: trumpet