Formed by a cross-section of contemporary jazz’s leading voices, the Black Art Jazz Collective has a simple goal as political as it is salutary: create a platform for artists of the same generation to collaborate musically and promote the recognition of African- American cultural and political figures.
Comprised of Wayne Escoffery (tenor sax),Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), James Burton III (trombone), Xavier Davis (piano),Vicente Archer(bass), and Jonathan Blake(drums), the BAJC hearkens back to similar creative groups established at various points in jazz’s history, and is clearly designed to highlight the impressive instrumental and compositional chops each member possesses, while underscoring the inherently collaborative methodologies of jazz.