Trumpeter Brandon Woody Releases New Single “Never Gonna Run Away” | LISTEN!
BRANDON WOODY SHARES NEW SINGLE
“NEVER GONNA RUN AWAY”
FEATURING VOCALIST IMANI-GRACE
THE TRUMPETER’S DEBUT ALBUM
FOR THE LOVE OF IT ALL
IS OUT MAY 9 ON BLUE NOTE RECORDS
Brandon Woody has shared “Never Gonna Run Away,” the lead track of the trumpeter’s highly-anticipated Blue Note debut For The Love Of It All out May 9. The piece features his band Upendo with Troy Long (piano, organ), Quincy Phillips (drums), and Michael Saunders (bass) plus special guest Imani-Grace on vocals. The album is available for pre-order on Blue Note Store exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital download.
Borrowing from the scene of a Sunday morning service and extracting from Woody’s childhood, “Never Gonna Run Away” employs elements of gospel music in a thematic tribute to the song’s core message: faith. The track opens in the embrace of Long on piano and organ — an angelic intro that seems to float off his fingers, cascading in the world around us. Phillips, on drums, adds texture, tactile but tender. Michael Saunders, on bass, provides a heartbeat, grounding the composition. Grace’s delicate vocals offer a guiding hand as listeners traverse nearly seven minutes of introspection.
Over the years, the phrase never gonna run away has become a mantra for Woody — a recurring motif in his life. It is a vow unspoken but woven in every note and affirmed in the aura of every performance. When listening to For The Love Of It All, it is undeniable that Woody does not take lightly the commitment each band member makes in showing up, being present and vulnerable. Through every high and low, Brandon, Troy, Quincy, and Mike remain rooted, bound by love.
For The Love Of It All is more than Woody’s recording debut; it is a manifesto, a ritual, a hymn to the enduring power of love. The Baltimore-born and based artist extends an invitation into communion with a striking body of work that surges with love, not as a fleeting sentiment but as an elemental force channeled through sound. Each song emits a lineage of perseverance, an inheritance of resilience passed down through intuitive memory. This project sews a tapestry of music that holds space for the unseen — love in its purest form: communal, generational, and radical. It is a reckoning with history and a strong gesture toward the future, where the boundaries between emotion and sound dissolve, leaving only the raw, unmediated truth of connection.
(L-R) BRANDON WOODY, TROY LONG, IMANI-GRACE, QUINCY PHILLIPS, MICHAEL SAUNDERS | PHOTO BY JAMIE SANDEL
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