Saxophonist Wayne Escoffery's latest album draws on the crosscurrents and connections of mainstream New York jazz. Bassist Ugonna Okegwo and David Kikoski on piano and Fender Rhodes joined Escoffery in 2016, new drummer Mark Whitfield Jnr replaces the late Ralph Peterson, who died in 2021. And three high-end guests have similar NYC roots.

The heart of this live-recorded studio album lies in Escoffery's muscular articulation and the band's close-knit confidence. Not that the guests are also rans. Trumpeter and one-time Escoffery employer Tom Harrell is on song, guitarist Mike Moreno fleshes out the saxophonist's twisty themes and Gregory Porter delivers spiritual fire. His distinctive baritone wrings the last drops of emotion from Escoffery's ‘My Truth’ and renders ‘Rivers of Babylon’ as a song of substance.

The album opens with the title track, written by the leader to showcase drummer Whitfield's sensitivity and flair – as the saxophonist gains momentum, snappy fills and a hi-hat pulse add urgency. Elsewhere, the leader's compositions take in the hard-swinging ‘Sincerely Yours’, the bustle of ‘Treasure Lane’ and the sinuous theme of ‘Shuffle’ snaking over funky beats.

The set is completed by two more covers. Escoffery's long-time association with the Mingus Big Band and Dynasty is noted by Charles Mingus’ ‘Nostalgia in Times Square’, which now unfolds over a sparse hip-hop beat – Harrell is pensive, Escoffery swaggers and Kikoski slightly cheesy on Fender Rhodes. Grant Green's seductive ‘Idle Moments’ rounds out what is a neat, well-worked set.