In planning this invigorating double album, manager and producer Stefany Calembert wanted to feature musicians in dialogue across genres and disciplines, generations, and continents, all responding to the worldwide scourge of racism. Jazz is one of the touchstones: acclaimed alto saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins offers two duets with Marvin Sewell and his mélange of rootsy guitars; pianist Andy Milne and his Unison trio branch out, adding trombone and vocals; trumpeter Jeremy Pelt doubles on keyboards for a gorgeous piece of futurist R&B; and David Gilmore, Reggie Washington, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Grégory Privat, and Marcus and E.J. Strickland chime in with powerful entries of their own. Cheick Tidiane Seck of Mali, Tutu Puoane of South Africa, and Sonny Troupé of Guadeloupe change up the sound, as does legendary altoist and composer Oliver Lake with a pointed spoken-word performance in response to the murder of George Floyd. Acoustic and electronic, opera and hip-hop, instrumental and vocal: every wild-card juxtaposition strengthens the whole, making Black Lives an enduring example of the protest tradition in music.