Saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins grew up in Philadelphia. In 2015, he moved to New York, where he met trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire who introduced him to the jazz scene. Another important encounter was with pianist Jason Moran, who took the young saxophonist on tour. Besides the jazz musicians around him, the church also shaped Wilkins; spirituality plays an important role in his music. In 2020, Blue Note released his debut album Omega, which was named best jazz album of the year by The New York Times. On Omega, he also introduced his quartet with Micah Thomas on piano, Daryl Jones on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums. Wilkins released the follow-up album The 7th Hand earlier this year with this same tight quartet. The saxophonist is famous for his layered compositions and extraordinarily beautiful sound, which you can hear live in Rotterdam for the first time.
