Tenor Titans! The Wayne Escoffery & Jimmy Greeen Quintet featuring Buster Williams & Lenny White
Smoke Jazz Club2751 Broadway, New York 10025
Tenor Titans! brings tenor saxophonists Wayne Escoffery and Jimmy Greene together at Smoke Jazz Club in a five-piece band completed by David Kikoski on piano, Buster Williams on bass and Lenny White on drums. The two horn players lead the evening as a paired-tenor front line, with the listing framing their meeting around the tradition of passionate, hard-swinging tenor playing. This is a dinner show, pairing the performance with Smoke’s supper-club format.
Escoffery and Greene share a musical connection that reaches back to their studies with Jackie McLean, though each has developed what the venue calls a singular voice. Escoffery has performed and recorded with Tom Harrell, the Mingus Big Band, Eric Reed and Herbie Hancock. Jazzwise describes his sound as “a contemporary mix of Coltrane, Shorter, and Henderson influences, but is already personal,” adding: “His technique is superb.” Greene’s collaborators include Ron Carter, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Tom Harrell and Kenny Barron. Harrell has called Greene “phenomenal,” praising his “really creative imagination and beautiful feeling” and a tone that is “big and warm and beautiful.”
Smoke Jazz Club offers a refined evening where jazz takes center stage in a space defined by its candlelit tables, plush red velvet curtains, exposed brick walls, and antique chandeliers. The club spans two connected rooms: one designed for focused listening with impeccable acoustics and iconic jazz photography, and a second lounge featuring a historic full-length bar and café seating. Guests can enjoy classic American cuisine during the first set, which begins at 7pm, creating a supper club experience that blends dining with world-class performances. The venue showcases a mix of legendary artists, contemporary masters, and emerging talents, making each night a unique encounter with jazz artistry. The recent expansion has enhanced comfort without losing the close proximity to the stage that defines the club’s appeal.