Tomoki Sanders set to explore the boundaries of Black American Music on debut album

The album explores spirituality, improvisation, and an interrogation of the conventions surrounding Black American Music. Sanders, who uses they/them pronouns, draws on the traditions of Black American Music while challenging the expectations and inequalities that shape its culture. They prefer the term Black American Music to “jazz”, arguing that artists should be able to define their own relationship with the tradition.

“The Third Eye” was the first single, released in June 2026, while “Jazz Is Just A Game” followed in September 2026, featuring trumpeter Nicholas Payton and vocalist Mélanie Charles. Latest single “Tranquil Memories” is dedicated to Sanders’ close friend Rodney James-Spann, a saxophonist and beat producer who died on 12 April 2025, aged 26.

Sanders said: “Rodney inspired so many people, including myself.” They added that the composition celebrates “the beauty of knowing that someone so gifted, inspiring, and deeply loved existed in this world and that I had the privilege of calling him my friend.”

Sanders was born in New York City in 1994 and began playing drums and percussion at four, before teaching themselves E-flat clarinet at six. At ten, their father, the late saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, introduced them to the saxophone. By 13, they were performing professionally in Japan’s Kanto region and recording with TENGOKU BATAKE JAPON. A Berklee College of Music graduate, Sanders has since worked with Kassa Overall, Ravi Coltrane, Maurice “Mobetta” Brown, Taylor McFerrin, Mark de Clive-Lowe, Matthew Garrison, George Garzone, Jack DeJohnette Trio, and Kyoto Jazz Sextet.