Saxophonist and Resident Artistic Director Immanuel Wilkins and his band perform the world premiere of his SFJAZZ commission “Recitations” during his performance on March 26, 2026, part of the SFJAZZ 2025-26 Season and broadcast on Fridays Live.

Watch many other performances on SFJAZZ At Home: https://www.SFJAZZ.org/AtHome

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About this concert:
The opening night of Immanuel Wilkins’s residency marked the world premiere of an SFJAZZ-commissioned new work entitled Recitations, featuring his quartet and pianist, singer, composer and 2024 NEA Jazz Master Amina Claudine Myers along with Chicago-born guitar star Marvin Sewell. They are joined by clarinetist Holland Andrews and vocalist Brontë Velez.
Inspired by Kirtan chants, hymns, and folk songs, Recitations uses melody as meditation or chant, exploring music creation as a communal experience that incorporates readings of historical documents from the Black Panther Party archives by both the audience and performers together. This innovative and thought-provoking approach erases the perceived wall between artist and listener, embracing the spirit of shared creation.

A remarkably versatile and accomplished artist, Amina Claudine Myers has led a storied career that crosses lines of modern jazz, gospel, and the avant-garde as part of Chicago’s AACM (Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians), and as a collaborator with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Henry Threadgill, and Muhal Richard Abrams. She’s recorded a dozen superlative albums and was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2024.

Marvin Sewell is among the most versatile guitarists and bandleaders on the New York scene. Versed deeply in the jazz and blues traditions, he’s performed and/or recorded with the likes of Cassandra Wilson, Jack DeJohnette, Marcus Miller, Joe Lovano, and George Benson, among others.

Alto saxophonist, bandleader, and composer Immanuel Wilkins is one of the vital voices of jazz in the 21st century. A native of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, Wilkins has worked with a range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, Joel Ross, Solange, and Gerald Clayton. His Blue Note debut Omega took the #1 spot on The New York Times’ list of Best Jazz Albums of 2020, and his most recent album, Blues Blood, was released in 2024.

PERSONNEL:
Immanuel Wilkins: alto saxophone
Micah Thomas: piano
Ryoma Takenaga: bass
Savannah Harris: drums

SPECIAL GUESTS:
Amina Claudine Myers: organ
Marvin Sewell: guitar
Holland Andrews: voice/clarinet
Brontë Velez: voice