Live at Firehouse 12 (feat. Rachel Z & Orrin Evans)

Tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery typically can be found playing his powerful tenor in the bands of Tom Harrell, Ben Riley, several of the Mingus repertoire outfits, and in collaborations with his wife, Caroline Leonhart. His work as a leader hews closer to the sound and vision of the sax greats (not a bad thing) typically with acoustic bands. This isn't the case here, with keyboardist Rachel Z adding a variety of electric-keyboard textures and sounds to a band that's rounded out by pianist Orrin Evans, bassist Rahsaan Carter, and drummer Jason Brown. Here, they rev up “The Only Son of One” (the title track of his last album) and “Gulf of Aqaba” (from Uptown), offer up a new tune cowritten with Ms. Z (“Zwei1”), and take on “Blue Monsoon,” which has been covered by Sonny Stitt, among others. The band cooks throughout, urging on the saxophonist as he launches each fiery volley. Props also go to the hip Firehouse 12—a combination studio and intimate performance space with a pristine sound that's lively and warm.