Photo by Evelyn Freja
On May 16, 2025, West Orange native Isaiah J. Thompson released "III. Spring Flower, Sprung Flower" off his upcoming album The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry, due out June 6th via Mack Avenue Records. With its life-affirming meld of swing and blues and its expert command of jazz heritage, The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry draws lines to landmark works of jazz divinity by Mary Lou Williams, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and other titans.
Thompson is one of the most acclaimed young pianists of his generation, having earned a slew of high-profile awards, two degrees from The Juilliard School, and work with renowned artists including Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Christian McBride and John Pizzarelli, whose trio, an institution in small-group swing, Thompson joined in 2019. NPR’s Jazz Night In America praised him as “a young musician and composer with a mature touch and rare combination of talent, creativity, humility and honesty.”
Despite all of his accomplishments, something was missing for Thompson. To start, he was placing far too much of his self-worth on being a celebrated musician. An overcommitment to the piano resulted in a surplus of practice that ended up putting his career at risk. “I got tendonitis in both arms, and that’s a condition you continue to have,” he says. Since then, Thompson has been diligent in his rehabilitation, which has opened up new pathways in his musicianship.
Even so, the injury was devastating and led Thompson to a crossroads. “It forced me to think about what is actually important in life,” he says. “If I can’t play, then who am I? What is my existence? What does it actually mean?” As he continued to wrestle with these profound questions, the pianist was reminded of his spiritual deficiency every time he heard his first name. Although he did spend some time in the church with his family as a child, he was primarily living a secular life.
“I was walking around with this name that I hadn’t studied,” Isaiah explains. So he began to discover his namesake and his faith in earnest. He dug deep into the Book of Isaiah, one of the Bible’s most challenging books. Eventually, independent study wasn’t enough, and Thompson pursued his spiritual education in seminary. He and his wife, a ministry director and noted worship singer with several generations of ministry in her family, eventually chose a congregation where the message of Jesus and salvation felt pure and right.
When it came time to unpack his faith musically on The Book of Isaiah: Modern Jazz Ministry, Thompson tapped trusted collaborators including tenor saxophonist Julian Lee, bassist Marty Jaffe, drummer Miguel Russell, and pianist Cyrus Chestnut, who co-produced the project. New Orleans percussion great Herlin Riley contributes tambourine and vocals on select songs, vocal star Vuyo Sotashe sings on three tracks, and Thompson’s wife, Kaitlin Obien-Thompson adds backing vocals to the album-closing “VIII. The Prophet.”
A devoted student of jazz history, Thompson wrote the album under the sway of jazz icons who crafted paeans to the Creator without explicitly chasing a “gospel-jazz” fusion. The spiritual works of Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams and Wynton Marsalis became major touchstones, as well as the transcendent recordings of John Coltrane and the churchly textures of Charles Mingus. Throughout these eight tracks, Thompson probes his devotional life without fear, underscoring simple but too-often overlooked truths about our relationship with God.
Pianist and composer Isaiah J. Thompson is originally from West Orange, New Jersey. He began studying with pianist Alla Epelbaum at The Calderone School of Music and Bob Mikula from an early age and soon after enrolled in Jazz House Kids and NJPAC Jazz For Teens. He later was admitted to The Juilliard School where he graduated with both his Bachelor’s and Master’s of Music degrees and went on to further his education in Theology and the Arts at Fuller Theological Seminary.
Isaiah joined the John Pizzarelli Trio in 2019 and has performed with other major artists such as, Christian McBride, Steve Turre, Catherine Russell and Buster Williams. His recording debut was featured on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Handful of Keys album with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and he has since released multiple recordings as a leader.
Thompson worked on the Golden Globe nominated soundtrack for the film Motherless Brooklyn, was named a Steinway Artist and has been awarded other accolades including, the 2018 Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award and second place in the 2018 Thelonious Monk Competition. In 2023 he was named the winner of the American Pianists Awards and the Cole Porter Fellowship in Jazz and in 2024 Thompson joined the Jazz Studies Faculty at The Juilliard School.
As a jazz musician and performer, Isaiah aims to emit love, spirit and respect and convey his personal experiences and passion for the music through his artistry.
For a list of music sites to purchase or stream the album, click here.
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