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Ralph Alessi Quartet

It's Always Now

ECM
Release Date: March 17, 2023

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1 Hypnagogic  
2 Old Baby  
3 Migratory Party  
4 Residue  
5 The Shadow Side  
6 It's Always Now  
7 Diagonal Lady  
8 His Hopes, His Fears, His Tears  
9 Everything Mirrors Everything  
10 Portion Control  
11 Ire  
12 Hanging By A Thread  
13 Tumbleweed  
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Each of Ralph Alessi’s three prior leader recordings for the label – Baida (2013), Quiver (2016) and Imaginary Friends (2019) – garnered high international praise. The New York Times lauded the “elegant precision and power” of Baida, whereas Downbeat declared that with Quiver, Ralph had found “an ideal venue, his penchant for the oblique statement and ventilated ensemble nicely couched in a pristine recording and a magical ensemble.” In a rave review, The Guardian called Imaginary Friends “an elegant balance of poignant, playful original compositions and gracefully probing improve”. For It’s Always Now, however, the cards have been re-shuffled, as Ralph Alessi steps away from his familiar New York collaborators and goes on an entirely different adventure with fresh casting on every position. A change in the line-up naturally provokes a shift in the music, because, as Ralph points out, “anytime you play with new musicians with strong ‘voices’ such as these, it changes how you hear your music”.

“I moved to Switzerland in August of 2020”, Alessi explains, “and it gave me an opportunity to collaborate with a new mix of musicians who I hadn’t had the pleasure of playing with before. And I strongly believe in the benefit of change.”  

  • Ralph Alessi Quartet - Its Always Now is one of Sequenza21/'s favorite recordings of 2023
    Posted At: July 21, 2023 12:00 AM
    Sequenza21/ - Christian Carey writes….Trumpeter Ralph Alessi brought a passel of originals to his latest recording date, his fourth for ECM, It’s Always Now. Most are single-author compositions, but a few are collaborations with pianist Florian Weber. The two are joined on the recording by double bassist Bänz Oester and drummer Gerry Hemingway. It is a formidable lineup, one responsive to and supportive of ...
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  • Ralph Alessi Quartet - Its Always Now has remarkable breath and scope, providing a marvelous sense of fulfillment / jazztrail
    Posted At: March 13, 2023 12:00 AM
    Each of Ralph Alessi’s three prior leader recordings for the label – Baida (2013), Quiver (2016) and Imaginary Friends (2019) – garnered high international praise. The New York Times lauded the “elegant precision and power” of Baida, whereas Downbeat declared that with Quiver, Ralph had found “an ideal venue, his penchant for the oblique statement and ventilated ensemble nicely couched in a pristine recordi...
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