Perfect Loop
By Gary Fukushima
Shards (2026 Red Hook), the second collaborative album from Blank For.ms with pianist Jason Moran and drummer Marcus Gilmore. The back story tying these three artists together is a remarkable tale spun over many years from some seemingly disparate threads.
By Phillip Lutz
By Dan Ouellette
By Staff
Isaiah Collier, the fiery, 27-year-old multi-reedist (and multi-instrumentalist) blew into Knoxville, Tennessee last March and blew the doors off the Big Ears Festival with his Isaiah Collier Plays Coltrane set, one of the most thoughtful and though-provoking tributes to John Coltrane’s centennial that folks will hear this festival season. Before taking the stage, Collier sat down for his first Blindfold Test in front of a packed audience in the Blue Note Lounge, a cool pop-up shop for the label. “Growing up being in this music to this point, I hear about this all the time. I feel very unqualified being here [laughs], however, we’ll see what happens,” Collier said before the event. But he proved to be more than up to the task. The following has been heavily curated for space. An editor’s cut of the test will be posted online later.
