IMMANUEL WILKINS RELEASES FIRST-EVER LIVE ALBUM IMMANUEL WILKINS QUARTET: LIVE AT THE VILLAGE VANGUARD, VOL. 1
3-VOLUME DOCUMENT OF SAXOPHONIST’S ACCLAIMED QUARTET
WITH MICAH THOMAS, RYOMA TAKENAGA & KWEKU SUMBRY
CONTINUES WITH VOL. 2 (APRIL 17) & VOL. 3 (MAY 15)
20 MARCH 2026 (TORONTO, ON) — GRAMMY-nominated alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins has released his first-ever live album, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 1, the first installment of a searing 3-volume document of his acclaimed quartet in action at the hallowed NYC jazz shrine. Vol. 1 is out now on LP, CD, and digital formats with digital release of Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 to follow on April 17 and May 15, respectively.
The albums capture Wilkins’ quartet featuring Micah Thomas on piano, Ryoma Takenaga on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums taking flight on expansive explorations of Wilkins originals — and a stunning version of Alice Coltrane’s devotional composition “CHARANAM” — in a room steeped in jazz lore. Wilkins indelibly etches his name onto the list of jazz greats who have made seminal live recordings within these same walls.
“Live at the Village Vanguard is a bold endeavor to summon the Vanguard’s sonic history and make it audible,” writes Tina M. Campt in the album’s liner notes. “It harnesses this legacy and reactivates it as what he defines as practice – a practice of improvisational sounding, congregational listening, and devotional ritual.”
The quartet recently performed a stirring NPR Tiny Desk Concert featuring pieces from Wilkins’ albums The 7th Hand, Blues Blood, and the forthcoming Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard, Vol. 2. “Always inspirational, the music of saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins is also heavy and thought provoking,” wrote NPR. “In the harmonic tension of his music you can hear sepia tones of the Black experience — an ancient and modern struggle told through melody and overlaid with hope. Complex time signatures swing and sway with spiritual incantations that instill reflection and peace.”
WATCH THE IMMANUEL WILKINS QUARTET’S NPR TINY DESK CONCERT
The track listing for Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard is as follows:
Vol. 1
1. “WARRIORS”
2. “COMPOSITION II”
3. “CHARANAM”
4. “ETERNAL”
Vol. 2
1. “THE BIG COUNTRY”
2. “WAITING PT. 1”
3. “CITRINE”
4. “GRACE AND MERCY”
5. “GO ‘HEAD GET DOWN”
Vol. 3
1. “RING SHOUT”
2. “COMPOSITION IX”
3. “DOLLA$”
4. “PUT 100 ON THE BLUE CHAIN”
IMMANUEL WILKINS ON TOUR:
March 20 – Blue Note Jazz Club – Los Angeles, CA
March 21 – Blue Note Jazz Club – Los Angeles, CA
March 22 – Blue Note Jazz Club – Los Angeles, CA
March 23 – Athenaeum – La Jolla, CA
March 24 – Kuumbwa – Santa Cruz, CA
March 26 – SFJAZZ – San Francisco, CA
March 27 – SFJAZZ – San Francisco, CA
March 28 – SFJAZZ – San Francisco, CA
March 29 – Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society – Half Moon Bay, CA
March 31 – Dazzle – Denver, CO
April 1 – Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, AZ
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