New York’s Village Vanguard is a stage where legends became known—and a grand place for recording a live album by a tenor saxophonist Downbeat calls “a rising star.” Dayna Stephens’ album was released at a time when the Vanguard remained closed due to COVID. The two-disc set includes material from his previous studio albums along with a batch of new compositions. The quartet ably supports Stephens as he traces impressionistic forms, sonically warm yet challenging, on his instrument in a style that occasionally recalls Sonny Rollins.
