BAJC is a very interesting band. And it's a working band, though finding it difficult to get many gigs, being a sextet. The founding members were Escoffery, Pelt, Blake and the late bassist Dwayne Burno, to whom this CD is dedicated. All the compositions have much more substance than many in similar settings. There are two by Escoffery, two by Xavier Davis, an off-the-wall ballad by Pelt (‘Essence of Beauty’), one by trombonist James Burton III, Burno's own ‘Devil Eyes’ and a 12-minute track by Blake, inspired by Joe Henderson (‘The Shadower’), all recorded live at the Side Door Club. The Escoffery tunes, ‘Double Consciousness’ and ‘Awaiting Change’, have the composer's tenor-playing tearing at one's heart strings, blowing with an emotional intensity seldom experienced these days. Pelt, with his constantly inventive harmonic conception, proves once again what a magnificent – and important – trumpeter he is. Burton, too, impresses with a lovely round sound. Bassist Archer shows how much he's learned from his Robert Glasper association and Blake contributes his typically tasteful and highly contemporary drumming, giving a restlessly swinging groove throughout. That leaves Xavier Davis. His 10-minute ‘Salvador Da Bahia’ is the most outstanding track of all and the dynamics in his solo runs are really something special. A very underrated musician. If given the opportunity, BAJC could become a really brilliant band.