Biography

Jon Irabagon was born in Chicago in 1979, a first generation citizen after his parents immigrated from the Philippines. He started to gain notoriety in 2008, when he won the Thelonious Monk Jazz competition on saxophone. This was followed shortly by Irabagon’s topping of the Downbeat rising star category on both alto and tenor saxophone. Jon Irabagon possesses a unique style which may seem foregin to many improvisers and is mainly characterized by his ability to switch styles of playing extremely quickly. His saxophone knowledge covers an extremely wide base, and that could not be more clear when listening, or trying to keep up with what he is doing. He has an incredible shortlist of collaborations, who are almost as varied as all the different styles he has under his belt. Some of whom are, Wynton Marsalis, Billy Joel, Dave Douglass, Dan Weiss, Luis Perdomo, Herbie Hancock, Lou Reed, Nicholas Payton, Michael Buble, and Mary Halvorson,