Firehouse 12 to Present the Wayne Escoffery Quartet December 8th

Wayne Escoffery, tenor saxophone/composer; Toru Dodo, piano; Hans Glawishnig, bass; Jason Brown, drums

On Friday, December 8th, saxophonist/composer Wayne Escoffery will perform two sets with his quartet at New Haven's Firehouse 12. Escoffery, who grew up in New Haven and became one of the late Jackie MacLean's prize pupils at the University of Hartford's Hartt School of Music, will be previewing music from his two upcoming 2007 releases. His quartet features pianist Toru Dodo, bassist Hans Glawishnig and drummer Jason Brown.

“Escoffery's command of the instrument is impressive, able to navigate broad intervallic leaps with a sound that is robust in all registers," wrote AllAboutJazz.com's Senior Editor John Kelman in his review of Escoffery's most recent CD, 2004's Intuition (Nagel Heyer Records). Critics have also called him “a charismatic tenor saxophonist" (Nate Chinen, New York Times), “a skillful, musical player" (Chris Kelsey, JazzTimes) and “a thoughtful and ambitious composer" (Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide).

A veteran of New Haven's Trinity Boys Choir, Neighborhood Music School, and Educational Center for the Arts, as well as the Artists Collective in Hartford, Escoffery went on to graduate from both Hartt School of Music and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance at New England Conservatory before relocating to New York in 2000. In addition to his work as a bandleader, Escoffery is an in-demand sideman with groups such as Ben Riley's Monk Legacy Septet, the Mingus Big Band, Abdullah Ibrahim's Akaya, the Carolyn Leonhart Group, Jazz At Lincoln Center's The Music of Miles Davis and the Tom Harrell Quintet.

About Firehouse 12:

Firehouse 12 is an award winning full-service bar, state-of-the-art recording studio and unusually intimate performance space located in New Haven's historic Ninth Square District. Painstakingly renovated over the course of four years by owner/producer/ engineer Nick Lloyd and Gray Organschi Architecture, this once-abandoned firehouse building has become a major part of New Haven's cultural renaissance since opening its doors in April 2005. It has also quickly gained a reputation as one of the premier recording studios and creative music venues on the East Coast.

A 2006 Best Studio Design Project nominee for the prestigious Technical Excellence and Creativity (TEC) Awards, the recording studio features world-class acoustic design by renowned acoustician John Storyk of Walters-Storyk Design Group. The striking 1200- square foot space features a Steinway concert grand piano, and doubles as an 80-seat public venue with unparalleled technical possibilities for some of the most respected names in creative music. Past performers include Han Bennink, Tim Berne, Dave Douglas, Susie Ibarra, Joe McPhee, Joe Morris, William Parker and Mario Pavone among many others.

In a June 2005 feature, New Haven Independent's Regina DeAngelo called Firehouse 12 “a north star in the jazz firmament that might well guide music lovers to New Haven from far away." She went on to write, “fabric-covered walls are angled to urge music to flow, not bounce, through a womb-like space. It's almost like sitting in the hull of an instrument. Luckily, the Firehouse attracts people who bring near-religious reverence to the music, producing an exchange of energy that often fires great performances." James Keepnews of the New Haven Advocate echoed DeAngelo's praise, calling the venue a “remarkable new cultural outpost" and “a resounding success." Yale University's Associate Vice President of New Haven and State Affairs Michael Morand recently called the space “a wonderful addition to New Haven's role as the cultural capital of Connecticut."

Complete Fall 2006 Concert Season:

09/22 :: Matthew Shipp
09/29 :: Carla Marciano 4tet
10/06 :: David Berkman Quartet
10/13 :: Nate Wooley and Blue Collar
10/20 :: Andrew Cyrille/Odean Pope Duo
10/27 :: Pete Robbins and Centric
11/04 :: Dave Allen Quartet
11/10 :: Stephen Haynes and Bugaboo
11/17 :: Dominique Eade/Jed Wilson Duo
12/01 :: Ben Allison Quartet
12/08 :: Wayne Escoffery Quartet
12/15 :: Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour