Joe Sanders’ Parallels ft. Logan Richardson, Seamus Blake & Greg Hutchinson

immanuel wilkins is a saxophonist with a penchant for grand gestures, who has an engaging sound and writes epic compositions. his debut album omega was named the best of 2020 by new york times. the following album the 7th hand dealt with themes of religion and spiritualism. blues blood, his new album on the legendary label blue note, was produced by influential bassist meshell ndegeocello. immanuel wilkins has collaborated regularly with another new hero of american music, vibraphonist joel ross. additionally, he has collaborated with artists from very different genres, and major ones too: solange knowles, wynton marsalis and bob dylan, for example. it is indicative of the scope of the alto saxophonist, composer and band leader from new york.  

bill frisell is counted among the top guitarists in america. all kinds of american style collide in his electric guitar playing, from jazz to country. together with double bassist thomas morgan and percussionist rudy royston he has previously released the successful album valentine on blue note records. on stage they form a tight-knit trio with an intimate and yet remarkably rich sound. in the past thirty-five years or so, bill frisell played on a couple of hundred albums, with the likes of john zorn, elvis costello, and lucinda williams. ‘bill frisell is arguably the most valued jazz guitar player of the past decades, thanks to the ever present smile in his melancholic music. he does not veer towards endless jazz solos, but prefers intense ensemble playing around beautiful themes’ (de volkskrant).

singer michael mayo stole the show when he first performed on our stage, with the all-star band high heart. with his remarkable a cappella skills and inventive improvisations, he got everyone on their feet. now the american vocalist will return with songs from his new album fly. this release features his own compositions alongside standards such as ‘just friends’ and ‘it could happen to you’, and tunes by wayne shorter en miles davis. live he can switch seamlessly between the most divergent styles and skills, from neo-soul to bop, and from crooning to beatboxing. michael mayo got his education under the supervision of herbie hancock, who recognized his superior talents at an early stage. michael comes from a musical lineage; his father scott mayo played saxophone with earth, wind & fire, and his mother valerie pinkston sang backing vocals for the likes of whitney houston and beyoncé. father and mother can be heard on fly alongside major performers from contemporary jazz, such as shai maestro, linda may han oh and nate smith.