The soundtrack of the present - presented by the award-winning high-flyer!

Sometimes the blues is somewhat forgotten as an important influencing factor in the jazz cosmos. But not with Immanuel Wilkins, who pays it the tribute it undoubtedly deserves with his album "Blues Blood", released last year.

Since his debut "Omega" in 2020, the US alto saxophonist has been one of the key shooting stars of the jazz world. During this time, he has not only astonished the critics to no end - the presentation of globally relevant jazz prizes such as the LetterOne Rising Stars Jazz Award (2020) and the DownBeat Critics Poll Awards (2023) speak volumes in this regard; Wilkins has also and above all played his way into the hearts of the international jazz audience over the past five years.

One reason for this could be that Wilkins manages to combine the big stories with the small ones - creating a symbiosis between emotion and reason. His passion for literature, philosophy and history find their way into the creative process, as does his active confrontation with his origins in the immediate vicinity of the US metropolis of Philadelphia, which were characterized by racism and violence.

His sound is deeply rooted in the history of black music such as post-bop, spiritual jazz and blues. Not to evoke a feeling of comforting nostalgia, but to derive the sounds of the future. Anyone who has already had the privilege of experiencing Wilkins on stage with his quartet will have a vague idea of what they are capable of sounding like.

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