About the album

An empathetic power of five is at work in the collaborative project known as Opus 5, working in the long shadow of the great vintage quintets, ala Blakey and pre-electric Miles Davis. On the front line, tenor saxist Seamus Blake and rising star trumpeter Alex Sipiagin - a Russian in NYC - are bolstered by pianist David Kikoski, drummer Donald Edwards and another bold Russian émigré, bassist Boris Kozlov. In the song set are compositions by bandmembers, George Cables' "Think of Me", Braziliana by Toninho Horta, and the reborn Russian folk tune "Sokol". Honoring the Russian roots within the band.