Exception to the Rule

John Escreet's Criss Cross debut is one of the singular recordings in the Criss Cross catalog. Out of Doncaster, England, and a New Yorker since 2006, the 26-year-old pianist-composer deploys the talents of New York first-callers David Binney, who incorporates live electronics into the flow as well as his alto sax, Eivind Opsvik on bass, and Nasheet Waits on drums. Synthesizing a broad template of sources into his own sonic vision, Escreet presents a stimulating, kinetic, heady program that solidifies his reputation as a musical ground breaker rooted in the verities of groove and high craft.