Devin Daniels & Julien Knowles Quartet | Now Then
($25-$35 Tickets + DICE fees | 6:30pm & 8:30pm Shows) Welcome rising stars on the Los Angeles jazz scene Devin Daniels and Julien Knowles for their Century Room debut!
Devin Daniels (alto saxophone) Julien Knowles (trumpet) Jermaine Paul (bass) JK Kim (drums)
Classmates of the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz, Devin Daniels and Julien Knowles quickly forged a frontline bond during the two-year fellowship program, where they were mentored by several legendary jazz artists including Billy Childs, Walter Smith III, and Herbie Hancock. Since graduating in 2023 the two have begun forging their own individually intertwined career paths.
An Inglewood, CA native, Daniels’ rare ability to balance versatility with uncompromising individuality has led him to perform in the bands of Gerald Clayton, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and John Beasley. Perhaps most notably in 2024 Daniels was invited by Hancock to join him on a four-week tour across the United States alongside highly acclaimed bandmates in Terence Blanchard, Chris Potter and Lionel Loueke. As for Knowles, since moving to Los Angeles in 2021 he has quickly become one of the most sought-after musicians in LA’s creative music scene for his unwavering musical sensitivity and honest improvisation. Knowles has toured the United States with Louis Cole and—just as Daniels did— has shared sideman performances with Gerald Clayton and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, in addition to Billy Mohler and Sasha Berliner.
Knowles and Daniels have collectively led bands featuring LA’s most prominent voices of today including Steve Lehman, Justin Brown, David Binney, Paul Cornish, Chris Fishman, Jonathan Pinson, Nicole McCabe and Christian Euman. They have performed alongside one another on numerous festival stages including Angel City Jazz, Central Jazz, Minaret Jazz and Camp FLOG GNAW, and are each consistently core members of the others’ ensemble. This is the case for both of their standout releases of 2024— Daniels’ fiery live album LesGo! (Sam First Records) and Knowles’ impassioned debut As Many, as One (Biophilia Records) were both celebrated in NPR’s “Essential Jazz Discoveries of 2024.”
Standing together as two of the most unique and undeniable voices emerging from Los Angeles’ rapidly evolving creative music landscape, the classmates-turned-collaborators officially joined forces to record a new co-led project last year entitled Now Then, aiming to pay homage to this music’s rich history while simultaneously ushering in a new generation of interpretation.
Featuring a myriad of American songbook re-imaginings alongside a collection of original material, Now Then is a collaborative coalition of the leading young jazz scene in America and an album of visionary art and sonic progression. Daniels and Knowles are joined by bassist Jermaine Paul (Gerald Clayton, Julius Rodriguez, Diane Reeves) and drummer JK Kim (Aaron Parks, Meshell Ndegeocello, Dayna Stephens), with special guest—and album producer—pianist Paul Cornish (Joshua Redman, Immanuel Wilkins, Terrace Martin) on one selection.