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Wayne Escoffery: Veneration: Live at Smoke
Escoffery leads a quartet comprised of vibraphonist Joe Locke, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer Lewis Nash. The brand of jazz played is sensible and melodic post-bop. Escoffery may be the happy medium between John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins—which may make him Michael Brecker, but that is not quite right. The young saxophonist was a protégé of the late alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, an influence that shows through Escoffery's long, carefully constructed solo lines
The vibes in place of a piano or guitar is a master touch. Locke is in a class by himself, not to be confused or compared with Milt Jackson, Gary Burton, or Bobby Hutcherson. He provides just the right vibe for Escoffery's powerful sensibilities, whether it is on a potboiler like "Looking Head" or a middle-of-the-road ballad like "I Waited for You."
The two artists show perfect empathy on McLean's "Melody for Melonae," which exists as one of the most perfect performances in this writer's recent memory. But even this closer is not the disc's highlight. That would be the Escoffery/Glawischnig duet on Billy Strayhorn's "Isfahan." Escoffery plays with a sumptuous tone, buoyed by Glawischnig's walking bass. Glawischnig is given equal solo time and uses it perfectly. The listener never loses position, always knowing where the bassist is going. Jazz has something to celebrate in Wayne Escoffery.
Track Listing
Locke's Vibe; I Waited for You; Bee Vamp; Skydive; Tell Me Why; Looking Ahead; Isfahan; Melody for Melonae.
Personnel
Wayne Escoffery
saxophone, tenorWayne Escofferey: soprano and tenor saxophones; Joe Locke: vibraphone; Hans Glawischnig: bass; Lewis Nash: drums.
Album information
Title: Veneration: Live at Smoke | Year Released: 2007 | Record Label: Savant Records
About Wayne Escoffery
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