Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Wayne Escoffery: Times Change
Wayne Escoffery: Times Change
“Come Back Lucky” is a medium-tempo original loosely based on changes from a blues by Los Angeles native Lucky Thompson, “Bo-Bi My Boy.” Next Escoffery has arranged a Sam Rivers tune, “Beatrice,” to cast a more modal shadow; the result is entrancing. The band changes tempo and mood nicely with the first of back-to-back standards, as the dependable Carl Allen drives the ensemble at a brisk clip. The second, the lovely Brandt/Haymes ballad entitled “That’s All,” provides the album’s lushest moments.
Both the aforementioned “Beatrice” and the next original, “Times Change,” experiment with different time signatures in the same tune, the former with periodic ¾ time bars (causing the melody to float); the latter, a bridge in 5/4 time.
“[Here] I’m experimenting with...a set of chord changes that work well with the use of pentatonics. Also, the bridge goes between two chords of the three tonic system. This gives [me] the choice to play on each chord individually, or play modally over both chords.”
OK. The result is a somewhat jagged but engrossing and tuneful piece of music; its sharp edges, corners and curves are more playful than dangerous.
“Dawn,” named after Escoffery’s sister, is a soprano adventure, complex and a little dissonant, but soulful and enjoyable. The album concludes with Jobim’s “Triste” (taken in 7/4 meter, featuring a dense, modal chorus and concluding with a Carl Allen solo) and Yusef Lateef’s “Water Pistol,” a light and carefree closer.
For those of you who hear nothing new under the sun from today’s neo-boppers, give a listen to Wayne Escoffery. I think you’ll like what you hear.
Track Listing
Come Back Lucky; Beatrice; After You
Personnel
Wayne Escoffery
saxophone, tenorWayne Escoffery (tenor and soprano sax), Aaron Goldberg (piano), Joel Forbes (bass), and Carl Allen (drums)
Album information
Title: Times Change | Year Released: 2003 | Record Label: Unknown label
About Wayne Escoffery
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
