"Sandbox and Sanctum" is Ess's latest work. It is a series of eight (8) original compositions tied together into a song cycle for quartet. The music takes us through an audio journey of all things innocently joyful and sacred in our lives. The performance on this album is filled with individual fire and collective coherence. The album features master bassist Harvie S, along with expressive drummer Gene Jackson and Grammy nominated, Donny McCaslin. Both McCaslin and Jackson add their prodigious talents throughout Ess's innovative compositions. McCaslin's angular lines on the first track "Free 2 Fast" create a memorable solo propelled by Jackson's rhythmic comping. Ess burns throughout the album with a deep woody tone creating lines lyrical and compelling.