{"title":"Isaiah Collier","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"parallel-universe-4","title":"Parallel Universe","description":"\u003cp\u003eMulti-instrumentalist and composer Isaiah Collier connects with the divine ancestors on a transcendent Direct-To-Disc session, Parallel Universe\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eChicago-based innovator and educator Isaiah Collier is opening up new dimensions in the jazzwise continuum. A saxophonist by trade whose multi-instrumental talents and compositional prowess have stretched the limits of the form, Parallel Universe represents a new chapter in Collier’s musical journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHaving already performed with a diverse range of musicians such as Chance The Rapper, Waddada Leo Smith, Chicago jazz royalty Angel Bat Dawid and his own band The Chosen Few, Collier’s latest work as a bandleader explores the shared musical heritage of the African diaspora with a sense of grace and assurance that belies his years. Embracing the risk and vulnerability that comes with the live process, Collier and his band tapped into the frequencies of improvisation that fired up so many of the most timeless jazz recordings. “Recording directto-disc gave me a really fortunate opportunity to experience what our musical predecessors almost a hundred years ago were dealing with,” he explains.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eName-checking Sun Ra, Ras G, J Dilla, Fela Kuti, Miles Davis, Gil ScottHeron, Whitney Huston, Aaliyah and Frankie Knuckles, the opening track of Parallel Universe imagines a genreless musical lineage that resonates with the polyphony of stories his band bring to the table, from Chicago and beyond.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing gospel soul singer Jimetta Rose, AACM and former Art Ensemble of Chicago trumpet player Corey Wilkes, blues-rooted guitarist Michael Damani, regular collaborators Julian Davis Reid, James Russell Sims and Micah Collier, the 8-track album bristles with a sense of love and understanding between players at the top of their game. Nowhere is this more evident than on the album’s 13-minute centrepiece, ‘Village Song’, in which Collier evokes the spiritual, psychological and emotional home of the African diaspora in song. “I want to speak to everybody of the African diaspora, truly in its entirety,” he explains, “from all the way of being back in the motherland, to the new lands we’ve come to.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRooted in the percussion of Sonny Daze and the kalimba of Radius, ‘Village Song’ is a joyous and affirmative celebration of that unity. Picking up the flute, Collier explains, was also a part of that narrative: “The saxophone was not made in Africa so the concept of going back into the village we have to go back to our village instruments and dialect.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith vocals sung in Yoruba - inspired by a gift from legendary saxophonist Kenny Garrett - ‘Village Song’ soars between rhythms and references, from Afro-Cuban syncopation to the deep triplet swing of mid-‘60s Coltrane. Laying the foundations for the album as a whole, the result is truly exhilarating, “Give me that feeling that makes me feel like I’m alive,” Collier enthuses. “People can tell when you’re taking chances. I know that’s what everybody is looking for.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Night Dreamer","offers":[{"title":"Black LPx2","offer_id":50506964107595,"sku":"2156613","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/unnamed_17_cdd30bd2_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727834503"},{"product_id":"the-ancients","title":"The Ancients","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe debut recording by The Ancients, the intergenerational coalition of Isaiah Collier, William Hooker, \u0026amp; William Parker formed by Parker to play concerts in conjunction with the Milford Graves Mind Body Deal exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art Los Angeles \u0026amp; now a working group. Across two LPs of side-length long-form improvised sets recorded at 2220 arts \u0026amp; archives in LA \u0026amp; the chapel in San Francisco, The Ancients bring the free jazz trio languages first explored by the Cecil Taylor Unit \u0026amp; Ornette Coleman’s - Golden Circle band (expanded upon in later eras by Sam Rivers' Trio \u0026amp; Parker’s collective trios with Charles Gayle\/Graves \u0026amp; Peter Brötzmann\/Hamid Drake) into their own unique \u0026amp; scintillating realms of expression. As we tumble further into the throes of history’s tides, people of hope \u0026amp; creativity rely on the works of our great artists to lift our spirits \u0026amp; focus our resolve. -Ascension- was recorded less than a year after the passage of the civil rights act \u0026amp; four months after the assassination of Malcolm X. -Journey In Satchidananda- was recorded the month Reagan was re-elected governor of California. M’boom made its debut recording weeks after the Watergate scandal broke \u0026amp; a couple months after the Wounded Knee occupation ended. The music of The Ancients builds on these great musical legacies. it resounds with the pride of survival \u0026amp; the joys of making \u0026amp; sharing music. It delivers to us hope \u0026amp; balm. something real in you, real in history, \u0026amp; real in the music is shared, right on time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Aguirre","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":51245616496971,"sku":"2239171","price":37.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":51245617414475,"sku":"2239179","price":25.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_f29f022c_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1739225937"},{"product_id":"joy-7","title":"Joy","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn a world currently defined by unrest, uncertainty, and cultural fracture, acclaimed saxophonist, composer, and bandleader Isaiah Collier returns with Joy, a 5-track EP that reframes one of humanity’s most nuanced emotions both as a devotional grounding and political act.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCollier’s deeply personal compositions present joy as an act that isn’t rooted in escapism or abstraction, but rather, as something hard-won rooted in lived experience, shaped by transformation, and sustained through connection. Throughout the album’s five compositions, Collier positions joy as a guiding light during challenging times, an expression of challenging yourself to utilize your gifts, an affirmation of love and discovery, and as an affirmative source of reassurance. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“We are in a paradoxical time, where so much is being revealed to us,” Collier shares. “Everything feels political from every scope… our collective hearts feel the heaviness in the air. Yet I say to you all—don’t despair. For right now, the most political thing we can do is share joy.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat ethos is made clear in the opening title track and lead single “Joy.” A pulsing rhythmic motif anchors the melody with a sense of both searching and certainty. Collier conceived the piece around 3 years ago reflecting on a time where many people in his life were experiencing loss of family and friends and experiencing profound life transitions. “Everything just felt like it was falling apart with no aim in sight,” he reflects. “Yet, there is a light at the end of it all.” \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoy is a through-and-through expression of the arc of joy in its truest form. Joy transcends fleeting happiness and is conscious gratitude shaped by taking chances, leaning into your gifts, fostering community, and lived experiences. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Joy is partially happiness,” Collier explains. “But to me it means happily being grateful for family, friends, lovers, teachers, and good times. These are the things that anchor us.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brownswood Recordings","offers":[{"title":"12\" - Black","offer_id":57376151994699,"sku":"R7530-5993","price":24.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/IsaiahCollier-JOY-BWOOD455LP-Packshot.jpg?v=1779191912"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/isaiah-collier.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}