Award-winning alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins burst onto the musical scene in 2020 with the release of his critically acclaimed Blue Note recording debut, Omega, named the best new jazz release by The New York Times, the best debut jazz album by NPR, and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Best Jazz recording. Since then, accolades, awards, and critical acclaim have followed each of Wilkins’ three album releases, including 2022’s year-end list-topping The 7th Hand, and 2024’s Blue Blood.
In 2023, Wilkins was awarded with three DownBeat Critics Poll Awards: Best Alto Saxophonist, Best Rising Star Composer, and Best Rising Star Group. In 2024, the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet won the prize for best international live act of the year by the German Deutscher Jazz Preis....
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Award-winning alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins burst onto the musical scene in 2020 with the release of his critically acclaimed Blue Note recording debut, Omega, named the best new jazz release by The New York Times, the best debut jazz album by NPR, and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Best Jazz recording. Since then, accolades, awards, and critical acclaim have followed each of Wilkins’ three album releases, including 2022’s year-end list-topping The 7th Hand, and 2024’s Blue Blood.
In 2023, Wilkins was awarded with three DownBeat Critics Poll Awards: Best Alto Saxophonist, Best Rising Star Composer, and Best Rising Star Group. In 2024, the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet won the prize for best international live act of the year by the German Deutscher Jazz Preis.
Wilkins and his quartet have toured extensively and graced some of the most esteemed stages in the world. Notable performances include the Montreal Jazz Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz, North Sea Jazz, Pori Jazz, and the Newport Jazz Festival, plus the Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, SFJAZZ, and Elbphilharmonie.
In addition to touring as a leader, Wilkins continues to record and share the bandstand with both his peers and his longtime mentors including: Jason Moran, Kenny Barron, Wynton Marsalis, Bob Dylan, Solange, Joel Ross, Gerald Clayton, and Lalah Hathaway to name just a handful. Wilkins’ interest and passion for sharing and preserving jazz musical traditions has led him to continue to give back to his community and to present clinics and masterclasses at various educational institutions including: The Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts, Yale University, The Consevatorium van Amsterdam, Basel Jazz Schule, The Faculty of Music in Belgrade, The Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, and Oberlin to name just a few. He also teaches regularly at NYU and the School of Jazz at the New School in New York City.
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