Twenty-seven-year-old Isaiah Collier is a musical virtuoso whose voice on the saxophone has rapidly positioned him at the forefront of contemporary jazz. He began playing at age eleven, and his intuitive mastery quickly drew attention. Since then, Isaiah Collier and The Chosen Few have become a vital force, captivating audiences with a sound that bridges history and futurity.
Collier’s recent accolades underscore his ascent: the Chicago Tribune named him Jazz Artist of the Year 2024; The New York Times selected his album The Almighty (Division 81 Records, 2024) as one of the Top Ten Jazz Recordings of 2024; and he was featured in the New York Times Fall Arts Preview. In 2025, he appears on NPR’s Jazz Night in America and graces the cover of DownBeat’s April issue. He is a two-time DownBeat Rising Star Award winner (Tenor Saxophone, 2023; Soprano Saxophone, 2024), a Steve Jobs Fellow, and was named one of DownBeat’s 25 for the Future.
Known for his regal stage presence and deeply attentive musicianship, Collier describes his sound as a “sonic time machine,” reaching backward and forward at once. He has released six albums to date, including Parallel Universe (2023), I Am Beyond (2022), and Cosmic Transitions (2021). His latest release, The World Is On Fire (Division 81 Records, 2024), is earning widespread critical acclaim.
