July 24, 2020
Alto saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins has released “Grace and Mercy,” the uplifting second single to be revealed from his forthcoming debut album Omega, which was produced by Jason Moran and will be released August 7 on Blue Note Records. “‘Grace and Mercy’ is about how God has shown me favor throughout my life, given me forgiveness, and mercy,” says Wilkins. “I’m continuously striving to gain more compassion, empathy, forgiveness and humility.”
After the release of the album’s first single “Warriors,” jazz critic Nate Chinen of WBGO wrote that “Wilkins has been a force on the ground in New York for the last five years, and a proud product of Philadelphia before that… Now Wilkins is about to release his own auspicious debut, Omega, featuring an explosive rhythm team of pianist Micah Thomas, bassist Daryl Johns and drummer Kweku Sumbry.”
Wilkins, who made a striking appearance on vibraphonist Joel Ross’ 2019 Blue Note debut KingMaker, delivers an expansive opus about the Black experience on Omega. With powerful pieces like “Mary Turner – An American Tradition” and “Ferguson – An American Tradition,” Wilkins wanted to convey the deep pain his people have endured in this country for centuries. That message lands harder in 2020 as cities across America are uprising due to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, three unarmed Black people who died at the hands of whites.
