Immanuel Wilkins

As saxophonist on Jason Moran's program in honour of Thelonius Monk, Immanuel Wilkins played his way into the hearts of the jazz world. The list of his collaborations is long and prominent: Solange Knowles, Gretchen Parlato, Wynton Marsalis, Gerald Clayton, Aaron Parks and Joel Ross are just a small selection of big names. And yet Wilkins has always remained true to his roots, his original inspiration: "My field of work is the space between spiritual practice and black aesthetics, the symbols of my inspiration are John Coltrane and the black church." And so today, in his mid-twenties, he is one of the major players in an unmistakable bebop revival, a trailblazer for a return to the spiritual aspects of jazz and, not least, a figure of identification for young people who don't want to wait until they are older to play at the top.

Immanuel Wilkins' latest release is titled Blues Blood and will be released the day after the concert.