For two decades Marcus Gilmore has been the drummer innovators call first. He anchored the Vijay Iyer Trio for roughly ten years, recorded and toured with Chick Corea, Steve Coleman, and Ambrose Akinmusire, contributed to the Oscar-winning score of Pixar’s Soul, and was a Rolex Arts Initiative protégé; he is also the grandson of the late Roy Haynes, whose Village Vanguard history runs back to Coltrane’s 1961 sessions.

Journey to the New, recorded across Gilmore’s own Vanguard leader debut in the summer of 2024 and released in May 2025, marked his long-awaited first album as a leader, and it landed at number one on The New York Times’ best jazz albums of the year. The Collective he assembled for it reflects his range: David Virelles on piano, Morgan Guerin on EWI, Emmanuel Michael on guitar, Rashaan Carter on double bass, and Burniss Travis on electric bass and sound design.

The music moves patiently through original material by Gilmore and his bandmates plus a Geri Allen composition, building immersive, groove-rooted atmospheres rather than drum showcases. Live, the project confirms what the record suggests: a major sideman has become a major bandleader.