Isaiah Collier’s saxophone sound is both fierce and deeply reflective—rooted in tradition yet stretching toward the future. Named Chicago Tribune’s Jazz Artist of the Year and a New York Times Top Ten honoree, his musicianship carries a wisdom beyond his years. With his band, The Chosen Few, Collier channels the spirit of John Coltrane’s legendary quartets, delivering a performance that’s powerful, intricate, and alive with possibility.

“Collier Plays Coltrane”

Don’t miss this extraordinary tribute to one of jazz’s greatest masters, reimagined through the artistry of one of today’s most exciting voices.

Isaiah Collier is a Chicago native, born and raised on the city’s South Side. A composer, arranger, educator, and self-described “Sonic Scientist,” he has quickly emerged as one of the most compelling voices in contemporary jazz, earning recognition from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions and publications.

Collier’s honors include being named a Steve Jobs Archive Fellow, Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz (2024), and a DownBeat Magazine cover artist. His music has been praised by The New York Times, which listed his albums among the year’s best, and his groundbreaking suite The Story of 400 Years was featured on NPR’s Jazz Night in America. He has also been recognized in the DownBeat Critics Poll and as Up and Coming Artist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association.

He is a maverick of sound, always studying to arrive at true innovation. Collier makes himself at home in any musical terrain—an exceedingly rare quality in any generation. His passion shines through every instrument and every composition, as he continually revisits and reviews the ever-growing history of Black creative music.

Known for fusing the depth of jazz traditions with the urgency of the present moment, Collier has been described as a force of creativity and improvisation. His collaborators include a wide spectrum of jazz luminaries: Kahil El’Zabar, Ambrose Akinmusire, Craig Taborn, Joe Dyson, The Headhunters, Terresa Griffin, William Parker, Azar Lawrence, NEA Jazz Masters Billy Hart, Marshall Allen, and Denardo Coleman, as well as Nicole Mitchell, Randy Brecker, Billy Harper, Marquis Hill, and Makaya McCraven. He also leads his own acclaimed ensemble, The Chosen Few.

A proud member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Collier stands firmly in Chicago’s rich tenor saxophone tradition while charting bold new directions. DownBeat Magazine has hailed him as “The Next Sax Giant”—a title that reflects his singular role in shaping the sound of modern jazz.