Misha Tsiganov, who lived in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union until he emigrated to the U.S. in 1991, at 25, has never shied away from a challenge. That’s apparent from the levels of complexity that Tsiganov embeds in the 18 arrangements and 9 originals on his three prior Criss Cross albums – The Artistry of the Standard (Criss 1367), Spring Feelings (Criss 1384), and Playing With The Wind (Criss 1401).
As written in the liner notes for Spring Feelings, Tsiganov has established “a signature blend of mixed meters, shifting tempos, changing keys and reharmonization that he deploys in order to insure ‘that something is happening always, so the listener doesn’t fall asleep.’”
Tsiganov’s latest, Misha’s Wishes, doesn’t eschew technical complexity. But the feel of this sophisticated, emotionally nuanced program – performed by old friends trumpeter Alex Sipiagin, tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Donald Edwards, themselves leaders of multiple Criss Cross dates, with whom Misha Tsiganov feels such simpatico that he once postponed a recording session until all were available – is different than its predecessors.
1. Fire Horse (Misha Tsiganov) 7:14
2. Strike Up The Band (George Gershwin) 8:32
3. Misha's Wishes (Misha Tsiganov) 5:35
4. There Was A Birch Tree In The Field, So What (Russian Folk Song) 6:10
5. Lost In Her Eyes (Misha Tsiganov) 2:18
6. Just A Scale (Misha Tsiganov) 6:08
7. Give Me Five (Misha Tsiganov) 8:21
8. Hope And Despair (Misha Tsiganov) 7:15
9. Comrade Conrad (Bill Evans) 7:21
10. Are You With Me (Misha Tsiganov) 7:51
Total Time: 66:47
Recorded September 9, 2021 in Astoria, NY, USA by Mike Marciano
Misha Tsiganov (P / Fender Rhodes)
Alex Sipiagin (Tp / Flh)
Seamus Blake (Ts)
Boris Kozlov (B)
Donald Edwards (D)
