5 November 2026 – Tomoki Sanders Announce Visage: The Third Eye and Challenge the Boundaries of Contemporary Jazz

New York saxophonist Tomoki Sanders has announced their debut solo album Visage: The Third Eye, scheduled for February 12, 2027 through Brownswood Recordings. The project explores spirituality, improvisation and the continuing development of Black American Music, a term Sanders prefers to the conventional classification of jazz. The musician argues that artists should retain the freedom to define their own relationship with musical traditions rather than accept categories imposed by the industry.

Sanders is the child of legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders and began studying music at an unusually young age. After initially learning percussion and clarinet, they began playing saxophone at ten and were performing professionally in Japan by their early teenage years. Their subsequent career has included collaborations with Kassa Overall, Ravi Coltrane, Taylor McFerrin and numerous experimental musicians.

The forthcoming album includes previously released singles "The Third Eye" and "Jazz Is Just A Game", the latter featuring Nicholas Payton and Mélanie Charles. New single "Tranquil Memories" provides a particularly personal introduction to the collection. The composition honours Sanders' friend Rodney James-Spann, a saxophonist and producer who died in April 2025 at the age of 26. The recording celebrates his creativity and the emotional significance of their friendship.

Visage: The Third Eye promises an exploration of musical heritage that respects tradition without treating it as an instruction manual. Apparently the future of jazz becomes considerably more interesting when musicians are allowed to question what the word actually means. Explore spiritual improvisation in our jazz portal and find new releases in our daily news.