Upper Darby alum’s album wows the world of jazz
Upper Darby School District alum, Immanuel Wilkins’ Omega has captured the #1 ranking for the Best Jazz Albums of 2020 by the New York Times. This debut record on the prestigious Blue Note Record label has been described by the New York Times as “… ten compositions that move with such grace, there’s no time to feel overwhelmed by the surfeit of ideas packed into each one.”
Wilkins, 23, said that he wanted to craft something that spoke directly to the Black experience in America. With his own quartet of piano, bass, and drums, the alto saxophonist tries to capture the many emotions over the senseless loss of black lives in this country in compositions “Ferguson – An American Tradition” and “Mary Turner – An American Tradition.” A soothing song, “The Dreamer,” honors the life of Black author, teacher, and activist James Weldon Johnson. “Warriors” is an upbeat tune that Wilkins describes as being about “friendships, family, your hood, and your community. It’s about us serving as warriors for whatever we believe in.”
Wilkins’ amazing journey to this moment of national recognition and acclaim has been fueled by
focus, hard work, and a bit of luck. His luck began with having two incredibly dedicated parents, Garcia and Robyn Wilkins, who have nurtured and supported Immanuel at every turn. At the age of 3, he started singing and playing the violin. By the time he was 5, he took up the piano. However, in third grade, Immanuel
fell in love with the saxophone when he joined the Highland Park Elementary School Band under the direction of music teacher Brad Schoener. To support his interest in the saxophone, his parents not only bought Immanuel his own instrument, they also enrolled him in the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing
Arts, where he studied under director, Lovett Hines. By fourth grade, his parents had him studying at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Between The Clef Club and the Kimmel Center, he was able to meet and work with some of the top professionals in the jazz music world.
By middle school, Wilkins was a regular star performer at the Upper Darby Annual Gala as he continued to expand his talents under Beverly Hills Middle School music teacher Tim Blessington. It was also during this time that Immanuel began playing to rave newspaper reviews at the annual Cape May Jazz Festival each spring.
The growth and sophistication of Immanuel’s prowess continued at Upper Darby High School under Jazz Band teacher Jason Majerczak as well as the lessons and performances that his parents supported him with throughout the Philadelphia area. By his junior year of high school, Immanuel par ticipated in the national acclaimed Young Arts Band and the Grammy Camp Jazz Session and was invited to attend the Grammy Awards and play at the Recording Academy afterparty. In his senior year, Immanuel Wilk ins auditioned for and was accepted to attend the prestigious Julliard School of Music where Wynton Marsalis was director of Juilliard Jazz.
The Julliard experience and living in New York City opened him up to a wide range of inf luences and opportunities. Trumpeter and composer Ambrose Akinmusire mentored Immanuel and helped him navigate the jazz scene. Jason Moran, the prominent pianist and composer took Immanuel on tour and formed such a bond with him that Moran produced Wilkins’ Omega album. While at Julliard, Wilkins became an in-demand sideman and got to tour Japan, Europe, South America, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. He has toured with or recorded with such artists as Jason Moran, the Count Basie Orchestra, Delfeayo Marsalis, Joel Ross, Aaron Parks, Gerald Clayton, Gretchen Parlato, Lalah Hathaway, Solange Knowles, Marsalis, Orin Evans, and Bob Dylan to name just a few. Immanuel graduated from Julliard and received the Peter Mennin Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in Music presented to an undergraduate student at the graduation ceremony.
Immanuel is currently The Kimmel Center Jazz Artist in Residence for 2020 and is working on a number of commissions including, most recently, from The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Wilk ins’ mission is to “create a sound that has a profound spiritual and emotional impact which will allow him to become a great leader in the long lineage of jazz musicians.”