Immanuel Wilkins, alongside his band of Micah Thomas, Ryoma Takenaga, and Kweku Sumbry, stopped by NPR’s famed Tiny Desk for a rousing performance. Wilkins and the quartet performed three songs, “AFTERLIFE RESIDENCE TIME,” “Fugitive Ritual, Selah,” and “THE BIG COUNTRY.”
“AFTERLIFE RESIDENCE TIME” originally appeared on Wilkins’ 2024 LP, Blues Blood, while “Fugitive Ritual, Selah” was featured on 2022’s The 7th Hand. “THE BIG COUNTRY” is a new song from Wilkins’ new three-volume album recorded live at The Village Vanguard. Wilkins explained to NPR, “It’s not a ‘concept album,’ so to speak, but rather it’s about capturing the internal technologies and logics of the band as the theory.”
He added in conversation with NPR, “There’s so much that happens through the music even outside of the normative realm of ‘language’ that I feel is important to capture in this new stage of this unit. I’m just always trying to push the band to new places, do something unique for myself and for the Tiny Desk audience. I thought it was important for us to attempt to bring the heat and keep it as hot as possible.”
The forthcoming release, Immanuel Wilkins Quartet: Live At The Village Vanguard, will begin with Vol. 1, set to be released on March 20. The 2LP Vol. 1 includes one track per side, “WARRIORS” on Side A, “COMPOSITION II” on Side B, “CHARANAM” on Side C, and “ETERNAL” on Side D. “CHARANAM,” available to listen to now, is a stunning take on the classic Alice Coltrane recording from her 1981 album Turiya Sings.
The Immanuel WIlkins Quartet is also gearing up to hit the road in support of The Village Vanguard release. The run will begin on March 10 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Order the Immanuel Wilkins Quartet’s Live At The Village Vanguard here.
