Braxton Cook - No Doubt (2018)

Maryland raised saxophonist, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, Braxton Cook is a status-quo challenging who first broke out in 2017 on the scene with the release of his solo debut album Somewhere in Between. Heavily influenced by John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, D’Angelo and Frank Ocean, Braxton mixes the improvisatory elements of jazz and the soulful melodies of R&B into a fresh sound all his own that he calls Future Jazz Soul. His music pulls from his experience as a Black jazz musician in America and his music aims to speak to the margins in society.

“For years, I've let fear and doubt get the better of me when confronted with obstacles...as a result, you can have a very safe and mild experience that's been warped by others’ opinions of you.” Cook tells Billboard. “This song serves as a reminder to myself that you can't fully live this way.”

Cook fits comfortably with contemporaries like trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah and English musician and producer Tom Misch -- both of which Cook has shared the stage -- who are ushering in a new phase of jazz music by questioning its confines in the age of streaming, but “No Doubt” brings him closer to solidifying his own movement that he dubs “Future Jazz Soul.”