It’s a tough proposition to get the saxophone beyond its historical cliches of the subway, club, and concert stage. If anyone can do it Brian Sacawa may be that man.

It takes technique, gumption, and some really hot music: "I’m looking for the kind of pieces that really warrant the violinist or cellist taking that hugely audible breath before they play something. The kind of stuff that makes you get goosebumps and want to scream, ’Yes!’"

Sacawa went looking for music that captures that brand of complex energy to create this album, and in doing so has clarified what defines him as a musician. To start, he has focused on getting his instrument out of the sand trap it often finds itself in by selecting work by living American composers who reach a broad audience base. He did so even if it meant - as it did in the cases of both the Philip Glass and the Michael Gordon works included on the disc - taking existing pieces scored for other instruments and arranging them for the saxophone himself. Together with the extraordinary works penned specifically for the instrument by Lee Hyla and Chris Theofanidis, Sacawa manages to stack his deck.

You can judge the emotional vibrancy of this collection of American Voices for yourself; just do the goosebump test. It is likely to turn out positive.