Immanuel Wilkins

A native of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, Wilkins moved to New York in 2015 for studies at the Juilliard School, meeting a pair of mentors who helped establish his professional career — Oakland-born trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and pianist Jason Moran. It was through Moran that Wilkins made his SFJAZZ debut in October 2017, performing as part of In My Mind, the pianist’s multi-media recreation of Thelonious Monk’s landmark 1959 Town Hall concert. Since then, Wilkins has worked with a range of artists including Wynton Marsalis, Joel Ross, Solange, and Gerald Clayton.

Wilkins’ Blue Note debut, Omega, was produced by Moran and is a meditation on the Black experience in America, featuring the saxophonist’s working quartet including pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns, and drummer Kweku Sumbry. The session took the #1 spot on The New York Times’ list of Best Jazz Albums of 2020.