Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 3 (Live) Immanuel Wilkins

• 1 RING SHOUT (Live) 12:26
• 2 COMPOSITION IX (Live) 23:50
• 3 DOLLA$ (Live) 15:18
• 4 PUT 100 ON THE BLUE CHAIN (Live) 09:49
• Total Runtime 01:01:23

Info for Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live at the Village Vanguard Vol. 3 (Live)

The alto saxophonist reflects on his first live release, the three-volume Live at the Village Vanguard, and the dazzling chemistry of his forward-thinking quartet.

GRAMMY-nominated alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins has announced his first-ever live album, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard, a searing 3-volume document of his acclaimed quartet in action at the hallowed NYC jazz shrine.

The album captures Wilkins’ quartet featuring Micah Thomas on piano, Ryoma Takenaga on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums taking flight on expansive explorations of Wilkins originals in a room steeped in jazz lore, adding his name to a list of jazz greats who have made seminal live recordings within these same walls. The album is introduced today with the quartet’s stirring performance of Alice Coltrane’s devotional composition “CHARANAM” from her 1981 recording Turiya Sings.

Continuing the tradition of classical recording dates from the venerable Village Vanguard jazz club, alto saxist Immanuel Wilkins delivers three, count ‘em, three volumes of recorded works with his team of Michah Thomas/p, Ryoma Takenaga/b and Kweku/Sumbry/dr. It must be intimidating to record under the shadows the likes of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans and Dexter Gordon, to name just a few, but Wilkins stands strong and sounds like the better man for it.

As you might guess, most of the songs are in the 10-18, minute range, save the 23 minute marathon of “Composition IX” which has the leader in a fuzzed tone and Sumbry with Thomas wild, wooley and festive. There is also a concise 7 minute “Citrine” which features Thomas in a somber mood, and a “Go Head Get Down” that has Sumbry giving a workshop on how to play the drums.

Other than that, Wilkins displays his Jackie Mclean-ing tone in various ways, lovely on the soft “Composition II” featuring Takenaga in the spotlight, and warm on the post bopping groove of “Warriors”, building up intensity on the mid to fast tempo’d “The Big Country”. Alice Coltrane’s “Charanam” is the only cover, and it’s a dark modal treatise with Thomas in full fisted form, the rhythm team giving a hip backbeat and Wilkins searching for new lands.

Immanuel Wilkins, alto saxophone
Micah Thomas, piano
Ryoma Takenaga, bass
Kweku Sumbry, drums

Immanuel Wilkins
is a Saxophonist, Composer, Arranger, and Bandleader from the greater Philadelphia-area. While growing up, he honed his skills in the church and studied in programs dedicated to teaching jazz music like the Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts. Moving to New York in 2015, Immanuel proceeded to earn his bachelor’s degree in Music at Juillard (studying with the saxophonists Bruce Williams and the late Joe Temperley) while simultaneously establishing himself as an in-demand sideman, touring in Japan, Europe, South America, The United Arab Emirates, and the United States and working and/or recording with artists like Jason Moran, the Count Basie Orchestra, Delfeayo Marsalis, Joel Ross, Aaron Parks, Gerald Clayton, Gretchen Parlato, Lalah Hathaway, Solange Knowles, Bob Dylan, and Wynton Marsalis to name just a few. It was also during this same period that he formed his quartet featuring his long-time bandmates: Micah Thomas (piano), Daryl Johns (bass) and Kweku Sumbry (drums).

Being a bandleader and having a working group for over four years has allowed Immanuel to grow both as a composer and arranger — and has led to him receiving a number of commissions including, most recently, from The National Jazz Museum in Harlem, The Jazz Gallery Artist Residency Commission Program (A collaboration with Sidra Bell Dance NY, 2020 ) and The Kimmel Center Artist in Residence for 2020 ( a collaboration with photographer Rog Walker and videographer David Dempewolf) Being emerged in the scene at a young age and sharing the stage with various jazz masters, has inspired Immanuel to pursue his goal of being a positive force in music and society. This includes quite an impressive resumé as an educator. In addition to teaching at NYU and the New School, he has taught and given master classes and clinics at schools/venues like Oberlin, Yale and the Kimmel Center.

Ultimately, Immanuel’s mission is to create a sound that has a profound spiritual and emotional impact which will allow him to become a great leader in the long lineage of jazz musicians. Through studying the human pathos of the music and the culture of jazz, Immanuel aspires to bring people together through the commonality of love and belief in this music. His debut recording, Omega — produced by Jason Moran— will be released on Blue Note Recordings on August 7, 2020.

This album contains no booklet.