Saxophonist Isaiah Collier to Release New EP “Joy” on July 31st, 2026 | WATCH NEW VIDEO! Announces Tour Dates for 2026

ISAIAH COLLIER ANNOUNCES NEW EP JOY EXPLORING THE ARC OF JOY IN GRATITUDE, RESILIENCE, AND RADICAL HUMAN CONNECTION

Joy is Out July 31 via Brownswood Recordings

The Five Song Body of Work Finds Collier Leaning into His Compositional & Multi-Instrumentist Prowess, Transcending Genres and Reframing Joy as a Necessary Act of Resistance in a Fractured World

In a world currently defined by unrest, uncertainty, and cultural fracture, acclaimed saxophonist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Isaiah Collier returns with Joy, a 5-track EP that reframes one of humanity’s most nuanced emotions both as a devotional grounding and political act. Joy will be released on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings on July 31, 2026. Today, Collier has shared the lead single “Joy.”

Collier’s deeply personal compositions present joy as an act that isn’t rooted in escapism or abstraction, but rather, as something hard-won rooted in lived experience, shaped by transformation, and sustained through connection. Throughout the album’s five tracks, Collier positions joy as a guiding light during challenging times, an expression of challenging yourself to utilize your gifts, an affirmation of love and discovery, and as an affirmative source of reassurance.

“We are in a paradoxical time, where so much is being revealed to us,” Collier shares. “Everything feels political from every scope… our collective hearts feel the heaviness in the air. Yet I say to you all—don’t despair. For right now, the most political thing we can do is share joy.”

That ethos is made clear in the opening title track and lead single “Joy.” A pulsing rhythmic motif anchors the melody with a sense of both searching and certainty. Collier conceived the piece around three years ago reflecting on a time where many people in his life were experiencing loss of family and friends and experiencing profound life transitions. “Everything just felt like it was falling apart with no aim in sight,” he reflects. “Yet, there is a light at the end of it all.”

As he played the chords with a sense of urgency, he could feel the vibration of yellow in the piece. That initial triplet motif serves as the guiding light on the piano and the only word Collier could hear was Joy. In addition to Collier at the helm singing and playing piano and tenor sax on the track, it features an expansive 11-piece ensemble with a full horn and string section allowing Collier’s propensity for composition and arrangement to shine with an eclectic sonic palette.

“Landscape of Dreams” finds Collier serendipitously leaning into utilizing his gifts as a multi-instrumentalist. While he had a sketch of the piece going into the studio, a traffic delay caused musicians to be late arriving at the studio. Never one to waste time in the studio environment, Collier stepped into new creative territory and took up the challenge of executing playing all instruments himself as an act of trust and experimentation. “I’ve never done this before, and so it was a leap of faith for me,” he asserts. “I always dream of doing stuff like this, and being part of the small percentage of people who can do it like Prince, Steve Lacy, Frank Zappa, and Stevie Wonder.” The end result finds Collier immersed in a hypnotic soundscape playing layered flutes, drums, Mellotron, Wurlitzer, and auxiliary percussion.

Another layer of joy is revealed in “Where I’m Loved” that serves as a love letter and leaning into the process of stepping into the willingness to explore life and love with a partner. On the intimate meditation of vulnerability and connection, Collier’s vocal prowess is on full display, exerting effortless falsetto reminiscent of D’Angelo over soulful Wurlitzer and guitar as he crosses over into more R&B-inspired realms. “I believe everyone deserves this feeling or to honor the memories of it. Furthermore, I believe you should also go where you’re celebrated and not tolerated.”

“When the Dust Settles” captures the electricity of live collaboration and Collier further steps out of being confined to any specific genre. He had just gotten a microKORG keyboard from co-producer Sonny Daze and was exploring the vast array of sounds on the instrument. Collier plays synth bass on the microKORG joined by the electrifying improvisation of Cole Runge on guitar and the combustible rhythm of his brother Jeremiah Collier on drums with additional post-production work from Sonny Daze.

The album’s final track “God’s By Your Side” reflects on perseverance and artistic legacy, directly inspired from the passing of D’Angelo, whose life’s work was a huge part of Collier’s childhood growing up in the late 90s and early 00s. With gospel flavor and direct influence both from D’Angelo’s vocal and instrumental arrangements, the track speaks to resilience and persistence in the face of obstacles—an affirmation of source and reassurance. “And what’s better than having God by your side, right?” asserts Collier.

Joy is a through-and-through expression of the arc of joy in its truest form. Joy transcends fleeting happiness and is conscious gratitude shaped by taking chances, leaning into your gifts, fostering community, and lived experiences.

“Joy is partially happiness,” Collier explains. “But to me it means happily being grateful for family, friends, lovers, teachers, and good times. These are the things that anchor us.”

Beyond performance and recoding, Collier’s influence is recognized in broader cultural and intellectual spaces as he was the recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association’s 2025 Up and Coming Artist of the Year Award, named the 2024 Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz by the Chicago Tribune, and was selected as a Steve Jobs Archive Fellow joining an elite cohort of the next generation of artistic visionaries through a yearlong program.

In addition to the release of Joy, Collier is touring his “Collier Plays Coltrane” program throughout 2026 in honor of John Coltrane’s centennial. Rather than presenting Coltrane’s expansive catalog as repertory, Collier approaches this music as something living, reshaping it in real-time with a sense of space and improvisational dialog reflecting both reverence to the past and present times.

For more information on Isaiah Collier and upcoming tour dates, please visit colliersworld.com.

Photo Credit: David Brown

ISAIAH COLLIER 2026 TOUR DATES

May 20: Teatro Asioli (TEMA) – Corregio, Italy
May 22: Teatro Comunale (TEMA) – Vicenza, Italy
May 23: Südhaus – Tübingen, Germany
May 25: Jazz Middelheim – Middelheim, Germany
May 29: Stadtgarten – Cologne, Germany
May 30: Domicil – Dortmund, Germany
May 31: XJAZZ – Berlin, Germany
June 1: Porgy & Bess – Vienna, Austria
June 3: Nattjazz – Bergen, Norway
June 5: Jazz à Valrose – Valrose, France
June 16-17: Blue Note Jazz Festival – New York, NY
June 22: Toronto Jazz Festival – Toronto, Canada
June 23: Calgary Jazz Festival – Calgary, Canada
June 24: Jazz Victoria – Victoria, Canada
June 25: Edmonton Jazz Festival – Edmonton, Canada
June 26: JAW 20 Family Reunion – Berlin, Germany
July 1: Vancouver Jazz Festival – Vancouver, Canada
July 3: Montreal Jazz Festival – Montreal, Canada ^
July 5: Saskatoon Jazz Festival – Saskatoon, Canada
July 21: Ronnie Scott’s – London, UK
September 5: DC Jazz Festival – Washington D.C.
September 26: Monterey Jazz Festival, Monterey, CA
September 29-30: Jazz Alley – Seattle, WA
October 3: Segerstorm Center for the Arts – Costa Mesa, CA

Champagne House Media