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Isaiah Collier

Twenty-six-year-old Isaiah Collier is a musical virtuoso in the truest sense of the phrase. He began playing saxophone at age 11, and his intuitive proficiency earned him attention early on. Ever since, his band Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few has been turning ears.
 
There’s a regal, elegant manner to Isaiah’s stage presence: he’s over 6 feet tall, thin, deep brown, with high cheekbones.  When not playing, he is patiently waiting – not contemplating his next move, but listening to the musicians who accompany him, listening to their stories.  He explains that he’s never really hearing himself, he’s hearing others play: some people have fire, others have air. “That’s how I hear. There has to be a balance.”
 
Isaiah Coller’s sound is a dynamic flurry of metaphors, yet he can hold back when necessary.  He plays his influences, which he describes as a “sonic time machine; you can’t really put a time or destination on it.” As far as he where he plans to take his music, Collier says, “I reach backwards, and forwards simultaneously when creating art and what is ahead of me is the past.”
 
He has released four albums to date, Parallel Universe (Night Dreamer, 2023) I AM BEYOND  (Division 81 Records, 2022), Cosmic Transitions (JAZZ, 2021), and  Return of the Black Emperor (JAZZ, 2018).


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2
In Pictures

Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few at The Freight

Read "Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few at The Freight" reviewed by Ronald Davis


A collection of photos from the Isaiah Collier concert at The Freight in Berkeley on June 20, 2025 featuring Isaiah Collier, Brandon Coleman, William Parker and Tim Regis. ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Isaiah Collier, Anna Webber & Nexus

Read "Isaiah Collier, Anna Webber & Nexus" reviewed by Maurice Hogue


What's in this episode of One Man's Jazz? Music from new releases by the greats (Wayne Shorter & Miles Davis) by rising stars (saxophonists Isaiah Collier & Anna Webber) by the vets (pianists Tonino Miano & Russ Lossing and Nexus, the long-running band from Italy led by drummer Tiziano Tononi & saxophonist Daniele Cavallanti) and by next-gen artists (pianist Marie Kruttli from Switzerland, Norwegian saxophonist Lauritz Skeidsvoll, and new Finnish quartet Solar Unity Ensemble), all surrounded by more excelllent music. ...

1
Radio & Podcasts

New Releases From Isaiah Collier, Friends And Neighbours, The Choir Invisible And More

Read "New Releases From Isaiah Collier, Friends And Neighbours, The Choir Invisible And More" reviewed by Bob Osborne


On this show we feature new releases from Isaiah Collier, Friends and Neighbours, The Choir Invisible, Jonas Cambien, Lynne Arriale, Vijay Iyer with Linda May Han Oh and Tyshawn Sorey, Jim Baker with Steve Hunt and Jakob Heinemann, Louis Stewart, David Leon, Old Mountain featuring Tony Malaby, Sonic Tender, Vinicius Cantuaria, Dave Douglas, Giuseppe Doronzo with Andy Moor and Frank Rosaly, Disaster Pony, and, Scheen Jazzorkester & Cortex. Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few ...

9
Album Review

Isaiah Collier: Parallel Universe

Read "Parallel Universe" reviewed by Gareth Thompson


The direct-to-disc recording equipment in Haarlem's Artone studio resembles a vintage control room for time travel, or maybe the record deck in a cyberpunk loft. And yes, that's Haarlem, not Harlem, though one could be excused for mixing them up here. This is where Isaiah Collier came to record Parallel Universe, a valiant and affirmative album full of joyful noises. Musicians who trek to Artone cut their work onto acetate from single-take live performances. But anyone expecting a simplified version ...

2
Live Review

Festival International de Jazz de Montreal 2023

Read "Festival International de Jazz de Montreal 2023" reviewed by Mike Chamberlain


Festival International de Jazz de Montreal Montreal, Quebec June 29-July 8, 2023 Not many cities like a party like Montreal, and the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (FIJM) has been the biggest party in Montreal since its inception in 1980. Not even smoke from wildfires in northern Quebec could obscure the love that Montrealers and tourists from outside the city have for the festival. This year's 43rd edition of the FIJM was ...

9
Album Review

I Am: Beyond

Read "Beyond" reviewed by Chris May


Tenor saxophone and drums duos were a thing at least as early as the 1950s, but John Coltrane and Elvin Jones elevated the format a decade later. Among their most exalted forays was the 27:04 title track of Coltrane's One Down, One Up: Live At The Half Note (Impulse, 2005), recorded in 1965. In case you missed the news, that album was given an audio upgrade in early 2022 on the Swiss-based ezz-thetics label's remastered Song Of Praise: Live New ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Isaiah Collier, David Binney, Charlie Peacock, Cecil L.Recchia &More New Releases

Read "Isaiah Collier, David Binney, Charlie Peacock, Cecil L.Recchia &More New Releases" reviewed by Ludovico Granvassu


Modern takes on old and new standards, fascinating singers, compelling pianists and much more in this set.Happy listening!PlaylistBen Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Cecil L. Recchia “Chitlins Con Carne" Play Blue (Association Harpo) 0:16 Host talks 3:48 Samara Joy “The Trouble with Me Is You" Samara Joy (Whirlwind) 5:56 David Binney “Blue Sky" A Glimpse of the Eternal (Criss Cross Jazz) 8:29 Host talks 14:08 Charlie Peacock “Blue for You" ...

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"Parallel Universe review - an inspired homage to the giants of jazz and soul (4 stars). Recorded in single-take live performances, the Chicago multi-instrumentalist deftly throws funk, gospel, soul and his own fine voice into the mix" 
 – Neil Spencer, The Guardian

“Still in his early 20s, Collier is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, though he focuses on saxophones.”
 – Leor Galil, Chicago Reader

Photos

Concerts

Sep 8 Mon

Tickets

Sep 8 Mon

Tickets

Jan 24 Sat

Tickets

Jan 31 Sat

Tickets

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Almighty

Division 81
2024

buy

Parallel Universe

Night Dreamer
2023

buy

Beyond

Division 81
2022

buy

Live

International Anthem Recording Company
2020

buy

The Time is Now

From: The World is on Fire
By Isaiah Collier

Perspective (Peace + Love)

From: The Almighty
By Isaiah Collier

Videos

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