Acclaimed composer, trumpeter, and California native Sarah Wilson celebrates her new album Incandescence with an album release concert on Saturday, November 8 at The Back Room (1984 Bonita Avenue, Berkeley). The show begins at 8 p.m., with tickets priced at $25 (children under 12 free). For details, visit backroommusic.com or call 510-381-1997.

Praised by Jazziz as “a major highlight in a superb discography,” Incandescence features Wilson’s brass-driven sextet Brass Tonic—with alto saxophonist Kasey Knudsen, trombonist Mara Fox, guitarist John Schott, bassist Lisa Mezzacappa, and drummer Jason Levis—on an exuberant set inspired by Austrian painter Thomas Reinhold.

Released July 18, 2025, on Wilson’s Brass Tonic Records and co-produced with Grammy Award-winner Hans Wendl, the album merges Reinhold’s bold, time-layered artworks with New Orleans–inspired brass traditions and Wilson’s radiant, community-rooted jazz.

Wilson’s wide-ranging career includes collaborations with Bread & Puppet Theater, the Montclair Women’s Big Band, and residencies at the de Young Museum, Djerassi Resident Artists Program, and AIR Niederösterreich in Austria. Her work reflects a commitment to connection, joy, and the empowerment of women in jazz.

“When you’re truly immersed in the creative moment,” Wilson says, “time evaporates—and what’s left is pure joy.”