Among the new generation of promising young Afro-American musicians brought to light in recent years by the legendary Blue Note label, saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins is undoubtedly at the forefront. Leading an extraordinarily organically cohesive quartet featuring another gem of the young New York jazz in the person of pianist Micah Thomas, Immanuel Wilkins' music is ambitious and naturally hybrid, passing all forms taken by African-American music over the years – from the original Gospel to the most modern of spiritual post-bop – through the high-tech prism of a highly mastered jazz grammar. With his alternately fluid and tumultuous phrasing, Wilkins, without ever sacrificing emotion for virtuosity, undeniably speaks of our world in the present tense.