"I grew up in The Bronx," announced Damien Escobar to the City Winery crowd Sunday evening. "And this ain't normal," he quipped, pointing to his violin.

Damien was an anomaly. His single mother raised him in the tough Jamaica neighborhood. But he escaped the streets, discovered a passion for music, and honed his craft at Juilliard.

Backed by driving drums and complex keyboards, Escobar led the trio while entertaining the crowd with instrumental songs on his electric violin for two hours in the evening's first set.

Although the first half of the show featured many of the performer's original compositions, he drew cheers of recognition when playing the music of others in the second half. It began with The Whispers' "Rock Steady," followed by Anita Baker's "Rapture" and "What You Won't Do for Love" by the late Bobby Caldwell. The crowd erupted on the opening notes of Prince's "Purple Rain."

Repeatedly, Damien expressed his appreciation to the crowd. At one point, he poured himself a glass of wine from the Winery and toasted the audience for several minutes.

Damien Escobar has mastered the violin and applied that skill to jazz-rock fusion. Even among jazz musicians, he is an anomaly.