Immanuel Wilkins Quartet

Award-winning alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins burst onto the musical scene in 2020 with the release of his critically acclaimed debut album on Blue Note Records, Omega. In October 2024, he released his third album on the legendary label, Blues Blood. 

Accolades, awards, and widespread critical acclaim have followed each of Wilkins’ releases. In 2020, Omega was named Best New Jazz Release by The New York Times, Best Debut Jazz Album by NPR, and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for Best Jazz Recording. That same year, Wilkins was awarded the prestigious Letter One Rising Stars Award.

Two years later, he released his sophomore album, The 7th Hand, also on Blue Note. Like his debut, the album was featured on numerous year-end lists, including those of Jazzwise, NPR, The New York Times, The Financial Times, and JazzTimes. In 2023, Wilkins received three DownBeat Critics Poll Awards: Best Alto Saxophonist, Best Rising Star Composer, and Best Rising Star Group. In 2024, his quartet was named Best International Live Act of the Year by the German Deutscher Jazzpreis.

Wilkins and his quartet have toured extensively, performing on some of the world’s most esteemed stages. Notable appearances 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.