Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit

...a sweeping opus with sociopolitical and poetic content woven into a musical tapestry...at once cerebral, emotive and viscerally exciting.
DownBeat

Composer Anthony Branker unveils a powerful new chapter in his ongoing exploration of music as cultural narrative, social inquiry, and collective expression. Leading his newly formed ensemble Other Ways of Knowing, Branker brings together an exceptional group of improvisers—saxophonist Steve Wilson, guitarist Pete McCann, pianist Simona Premazzi, bassist John Hébert, drummer Rudy Royston, and vocalist Aimée Allen—for a program that is as rhythmically vital as it is conceptually resonant. Drawing inspiration from histories and lived experiences within the African and Indigenous diasporas, these expansive compositions balance cinematic scope with deeply personal storytelling. Like Branker's acclaimed earlier work, praised for its ability to unite musical beauty with intellectual depth, Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit stands as a compelling statement—one that invites listening not only as an aesthetic experience, but as a way of knowing, remembering, and bearing witness.

"Musical beauty in the service of thought, or perhaps the reverse." Paris-Move

Production Info:

Produced by Anthony Branker
Recorded September 25, 2025 by Mike Marciano of Systems Two, NY
at Samurai Hotel Recording Studios, Astoria, NY
Mixed & Mastered by Mike Marciano & Anthony Branker at Systems Two, NY
Cover design & layout by John Bishop

Reviews of Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit

Jazz Blues European Union (Interview) (Olivia Peevas)
Jazz Blues European Union: – Thank you for taking the time to have this interview with Jazz Blues EU. Tell us about your music. When did you start performing? Anthony Branker: – My involvement with music started as a trumpet player when I was 10 years old. In all honesty, I really wanted to play drums at first but was persuaded by two of my ...

Paris Move (Thierry De Clemensat)
5-STARS To write about Anthony Branker is to risk superlatives. And yet restraint feels almost dishonest. He stands, more than likely, among the most important and influential American composers working today, not simply because of the sophistication of his craft, but because of the intellectual and moral architecture that sustains it. Once again, ...

Jazz Blues European Union (Olivia Peevas)
There's a visceral moment in music when sound stops being just sound — when it dissolves the boundary between performer and listener, body and memory, history and pulse. It is here, in that fertile space between rhythm and remembrance, that Anthony Branker's new album, Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit, stakes its claim. More th ...

Jazz Weekly (George W Harris)
Composer and director Anthony Branker brings together his team to skillfully interpret and tell a story of culture, focusing on the African Diaspora on this album. The team of Steve Wilson/as-ss-fl, Pete McCann/g, Simona Premazzi/p, John Hebert/b, Rudy Royston/dr and Aimee Allen/voc are like musical paintbrushes for Branker's canvas, forming rich p ...

All About Jazz (Dan McClenaghan)
4-STARS At the time of this writing (early 2026), the United States is beset by an odious president, a racist sociopath who seems hellbent on erasing all references to achievement or success of anyone of African descent—leaving aside that we are all of African descent; but some made the relocation to North America involuntarily. Stubborn resi ...