JazzClub/Immanuel Wilkins/Controlled disorientation

“The most important debut in years,” the JazzTimes reviewer commented on Wilkins' first album, which the saxophonist released at the age of 22 in the Blue Note outbuilding. “Moving, deep and delightful” is DownBeat's take on the jazz suite Blues Blood, for which Wilkins received a Grammy nomination. Fortunately, the Philadelphia-born artist does not let himself be drowned out. Nor is he a nerve-racking youngster who plays faster than he thinks. From the very beginning, he was characterized by a surprising maturity with a tendency to melancholy. He has collaborated with stars - Jason Moran, Me'shell Ndegeocello, Cécile McLorin Salvant - but since 2017 the basic vehicle of his musical thought is the same quartet that he will play in Katowice. The sensational concert recording of Live at the Village Vanguard from 2026 shows well the incredible energy and conceptual possibilities of this band. After nine years of existence, the quartet reached a higher degree of agreement, becoming a single musical organism. This allows, Wilkins says, “to achieve a state of disorientation on the stage” and, using the intensity of harmony and rhythm, “to change the way listeners experience time, emotions and history.”

Tomasz Gregorczyk

More concerts from the JazzKlub series.

This concert may be part of the “My Pass” offer. Check the details and compose “My Pass” at will, choosing from concerts of different series in the chamber and concert hall — more information.

Performers: Immanuel Wilkins — alto saxophone; Micah Thomas — piano; Ryoma Takenaga — double bass; Kweku Sumbry — drums