'In Plain View' by Ivan Radivojevic Quartet

'In Plain View' marks the debut album from trumpeter Ivan Radivojevic and his Quartet ensemble for the excellent A.MA Records.

Radivojevic's efforts have actually seen him fall under A.MA Records' watchful eye for some time now.  Having served as a guest on past A.MA releases including Max Kochetov Quartet's 'Altered Feelings' album which was released in early 2022 and featured Radivojevic appearing, trumpet in hand, on the songs 'Groovin' and 'Sultry Requiem'.  Radivojevic also appeared as part of the ensemble for vocalist and saxophonist Sanja Markovic and her masterpiece, 'Ascension', released in 2020.

Radivojevic's distinct tone and vision for his music has been laid bare, certainly through the variety of projects he has been involved in to date.  Aside from the collaborations already listed, Radivojevic also managed to nurture his affections for more eclectic, hip-hop inspired productions by appearing on Serbian rapper Marčelo's 'Nojeva Varka' providing trumpet for the track 'Flešbek'.  

'In Plain View' is a record exemplary of everything that Radivojevic brings to the table - an exquisite eight track release that is bursting with ideas and impassioned performances.  In fact, as something of a nice preview to the album, there are some great YouTube videos of Radivojevic and company performing for Serbian audiences recorded from September 2021 of last year that are a real treat and give a great indication of the ardent and stirring performances to expect from a live Radivojevic performance.  I'd encourage you to even dig that little bit further back to tracks uploaded to Radivojevic's Soundcloud account as far back as ten years ago, and marvel at the outstanding playing even back then for the three tracks that are currently available to hear.

Helping to bring the music to sublime life throughout 'In Plain View' however, and joining Radivojevic as part of this incredible Quartet, are pianist Andreja Hristić, double bassist Boris Šainović and drummer Bogdan Đurđević who really play together beautifully.  'Day One' kicks the project off with a wonderfully understated number but one no less divine as Radivojevic trades notes with Hristić's piano for one of the album's early standout numbers.  The nine minute gem of the album follows swiftly afterwards, 'Some Place Else', and serves as another track to really showcase the world class standard on display for 'In Plain View'; the song traverses a variety of styles and pace, and captures an inspired energy that's hard to rival as the album's centrepiece.  A further special mention is warranted for the introspective and ethereal nature of 'Slipping Into The Night' - carried in part by the song's guest artist, guitarist Andreja Stanković, who offers up an impeccable performance and manages to perfectly elicit Radivojevic's concept.

'In Plain View' is a fantastic debut record for an artist with limitless potential; the album really is a playground for Radivojevic's inspirations and ideas and we'll await the follow-up eagerly to see what new "views" we'll be exposed to then.