Label: Blue Note Records, 2026
Personnel - Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone; Micah Thomas: piano; Ryoma Takenaga: bass; Kweku Sumbry: drums.
Saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins has emerged as a leading voice in contemporary jazz, building a body of work that feels both tenacious and vital. His latest addition, Live at Village Vanguard Vol. 1, is his first live recording, featuring four extended tracks captured in 2025 at that iconic venue of legendary performances. For the occasion, Wilkins enlisted a tight, intuitive quartet of like-minded collaborators: pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Ryoma Takenaga, and drummer Kweku Sumbry.
“Warriors”, an energetic tour-de-force originally included on his debut album Omega (2020), appears here with extended soloing bravura from Wilkins and Thomas in a modern post-bop setting that showcases harmonic dexterity, melodic balance, and narrative depth. Shades of John Coltrane and Ornette Coleman surface in multiple triplet-infused phrases that fuse technical command with joyful exuberance. Sumbry brings the piece to a close, stretching elastically on the kit within a vamping sequence.
“Composition II”, a lyrical, gently brushed, and narratively-driven 4/4 ballad modeled on J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, invites more reflective consideration and includes a fine bass solo steeped in melodic elegance. Yet, the record’s highlight is undoubtedly Alice Coltrane’s “Charanam”, whose modal spirituality resonates directly with the listener. Each musical gesture leaves a mark—from the piano’s introductory passage to the groove-oriented ritual of the rhythm section and the uplifting, free-flowing riffery maintained by Wilkins, who fills spaces with dazzling in-and-out incursions. The quartet is in top form, and the piece becomes deeply soulful, worming its way into your head.
“Eternal” concludes this first volume by introducing a serious post-bop statement with a perplexing sense of time and a clearly defined thematic melody, before settling into a continuous, measured 3/4 cycle.
Wilkins’ Live at Village Vanguard Vol. 1 offers moments of boundless creativity and deep commitment to the music, its interactive force drawing from diverse musical sources that shape his notably expressive vocabulary.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Warriors ► 03 - Charanam