Biography
Tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery commands attention through his commanding, robust sound and post-bop approach. Having studied under Jackie McLean, he first gained notice during the 2000s while performing on seven recordings by trumpeter Tom Harrell. Leading his own ensembles remains his central focus, documented on the 2001 release Times Change, the 2009 album Uptown, and Vortex from 2018. A 2010 Grammy arrived through his participation in the Mingus Big Band, and four years afterward he received the 62nd Annual Downbeat Critics Poll award as rising star on tenor saxophone. Additional sessions have paired him with the Black Art Jazz Collective, Amina Figarova, Pat Bianchi, Eric Reed, and others. Beyond private instruction, he serves as Lecturer of Jazz Improvisation at Yale University. His first Smoke Sessions project, Humble Warrior, appeared in 2020 and was followed by Like Minds in 2023.
Although born in London on February 23, 1975, Escoffery has lived the majority of his life in the northeastern United States. At age 11 he relocated with his mother from the U.K. to New Haven, Connecticut in 1986. That same year he entered the New Haven Trinity Boys Choir while beginning tenor saxophone lessons with saxophonist and clarinetist Malcolm Dickinson. By 16 he had departed the choir, shifting his primary concentration to jazz saxophone performance. During his late teens he encountered alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, whom he has credited as both mentor and profound influence; extensive study with McLean, who passed in 2006, took place at the Hartt School in West Hartford. He later earned a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston in 1999 and settled in New York City the next year at age 25.
Escoffery’s profile expanded steadily through the 2000s via membership in Tom Harrell’s quintet, performances with the Charles Mingus ghost band, and tours alongside drummer Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet, a Thelonious Monk tribute ensemble. He also accompanied vocalists such as Laverne Butler, Mary Stallings, Carolyn Leonhart, Cynthia Scott, and Nancie Banks. His debut leader date, Times Change, was cut for the German Nagel-Heyer imprint in early 2001; a follow-up studio session for the same label, Intuition, was tracked in 2003. The 2006 Savant live recording Veneration preceded the 2007 studio album Hopes and Dreams, again on Savant and featuring Tom Harrell.
In 2009 Escoffery directed the groove-oriented Uptown and the joint effort Playdate, both issued by Posi-Tone. The subsequent year brought Tides of Yesterday, a ballad-and-neo-bop collection made with then-wife, vocalist Carolyn Leonhart of Steely Dan. He spent the following year on the road with the Mingus Big Band, earning a Grammy for the 2010 album Live at Jazz Standard. Only Son of One, his first Sunnyside release, arrived in 2012 and was succeeded in 2013 by Grown Folks Music; that period also yielded the Downbeat Critics Poll recognition. Live sets Live at Firehouse 12 and Live at Smalls preceded the 2016 studio project Standard Solo and Duet Sketches with Avi Rothbard. The same year he joined the Yale faculty as Lecturer of Jazz Improvisation and ensemble coach under the university’s Jazz Initiative.
Responding to national conditions during the Trump presidency, Escoffery issued Vortex in early 2018 with his quartet of pianist David Kikoski, drummer Ralph Peterson, and bassist Ugonna Okegwo, plus guests Jeremy Pelt, Kush Abadey, and Jacquelene Acevedo. That same lineup delivered the 2020 Smoke Sessions album Humble Warrior, which included trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarist David Gilmore, and a vocal contribution from Escoffery’s son Vaughn Escoffery. A second Smoke Sessions recording, Like Minds, followed in 2023 with appearances by trumpeter Tom Harrell, vocalist Gregory Porter, guitarist Mike Moreno, and percussionist Daniel Sadownick.
Although born in London on February 23, 1975, Escoffery has lived the majority of his life in the northeastern United States. At age 11 he relocated with his mother from the U.K. to New Haven, Connecticut in 1986. That same year he entered the New Haven Trinity Boys Choir while beginning tenor saxophone lessons with saxophonist and clarinetist Malcolm Dickinson. By 16 he had departed the choir, shifting his primary concentration to jazz saxophone performance. During his late teens he encountered alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, whom he has credited as both mentor and profound influence; extensive study with McLean, who passed in 2006, took place at the Hartt School in West Hartford. He later earned a master’s degree from the New England Conservatory in Boston in 1999 and settled in New York City the next year at age 25.
Escoffery’s profile expanded steadily through the 2000s via membership in Tom Harrell’s quintet, performances with the Charles Mingus ghost band, and tours alongside drummer Ben Riley’s Monk Legacy Septet, a Thelonious Monk tribute ensemble. He also accompanied vocalists such as Laverne Butler, Mary Stallings, Carolyn Leonhart, Cynthia Scott, and Nancie Banks. His debut leader date, Times Change, was cut for the German Nagel-Heyer imprint in early 2001; a follow-up studio session for the same label, Intuition, was tracked in 2003. The 2006 Savant live recording Veneration preceded the 2007 studio album Hopes and Dreams, again on Savant and featuring Tom Harrell.
In 2009 Escoffery directed the groove-oriented Uptown and the joint effort Playdate, both issued by Posi-Tone. The subsequent year brought Tides of Yesterday, a ballad-and-neo-bop collection made with then-wife, vocalist Carolyn Leonhart of Steely Dan. He spent the following year on the road with the Mingus Big Band, earning a Grammy for the 2010 album Live at Jazz Standard. Only Son of One, his first Sunnyside release, arrived in 2012 and was succeeded in 2013 by Grown Folks Music; that period also yielded the Downbeat Critics Poll recognition. Live sets Live at Firehouse 12 and Live at Smalls preceded the 2016 studio project Standard Solo and Duet Sketches with Avi Rothbard. The same year he joined the Yale faculty as Lecturer of Jazz Improvisation and ensemble coach under the university’s Jazz Initiative.
Responding to national conditions during the Trump presidency, Escoffery issued Vortex in early 2018 with his quartet of pianist David Kikoski, drummer Ralph Peterson, and bassist Ugonna Okegwo, plus guests Jeremy Pelt, Kush Abadey, and Jacquelene Acevedo. That same lineup delivered the 2020 Smoke Sessions album Humble Warrior, which included trumpeter Randy Brecker, guitarist David Gilmore, and a vocal contribution from Escoffery’s son Vaughn Escoffery. A second Smoke Sessions recording, Like Minds, followed in 2023 with appearances by trumpeter Tom Harrell, vocalist Gregory Porter, guitarist Mike Moreno, and percussionist Daniel Sadownick.
Albums
