Marcus Strickland's Twi-Life was formed in 2015 for the purpose of recording the saxophonist's debut Blue Note album as a leader. The band name comes from the leader's acclaimed 2006 double album that featured two different quartets.
Twi-Life's personnel includes trumpeter
Keyon Harrold, bassist
Kyle Miles, drummer
Charles Haynes, organist
Mitch Henry, and keyboardist
Masayuki Hirano. Their album
Nihil Novi was produced by
Meshell Ndegeocello, and features guest appearances from a star-studded cast including
Robert Glasper (who played on the 2006 date),
Chris Bruce,
Chris Dave, and
Pino Palladino. The recording was released in April of 2016. Two years later,
Strickland's group issued its sophomore Blue Note date,
People of the Sun. Self-produced, the band's personnel shifted a bit with
Palladino replaced by bassist
Kyle Miles and supplemented on five tracks by Ghanaian born, U.S.-based percussion master
Weedie Braimah. The single "On My Mind" featured guest appearances by
Bilal,
Pharoahe Monch, and
Greg Tate. ~ Thom Jurek