Ars Nova Workshop presents the rising star saxophonist Isaiah Collier and his spiritually searching band The Chosen Few at Solar Myth on Friday, August 23.

The New York Times has lauded the visionary Chicago saxophonist Isaiah Collier as “an heir apparent to both the Chicago lineage and the post-Coltrane sax tradition.” There’s a regal, elegant manner to Collier’s stage presence; when not playing, he is patiently waiting – not contemplating his next move, but listening to the musicians who accompany him, listening to their stories.  He explains that he’s never really hearing himself, he’s hearing others play: some people have fire, others have air. Coller’s sound is a dynamic flurry of metaphors, yet he can hold back when necessary.  He plays his influences, which he describes as a “sonic time machine; you can’t really put a time or destination on it.” With The Almighty, his latest excursion with his band The Chosen Few, Collier explores the relationship between Divine Source and the everyday person, driving home the concept that there is a force of higher vibrational energy in nature that we must become in tune with to better ourselves and society as a whole.