Self-taught saxophonist and multi-instrumental improviser Jairus Sharif sums up his musical approach in five words: “Really just starting to communicate.” Self-effacing as that may sound, it’s a reflection of where he is in his musical journey: Sharif didn’t pick up a saxophone until 2020, discovering avant-jazz via the breadcrumb trails of early hip-hop samples after prior stints as a turntablist and blues and garage rocker. Less than five years into exploring his current instrument of choice, it’s understandable why he’d be humble.

“Humility” is also the title of the nearly 12-minute opening track to his full-length debut, Water and Tools, released in 2022 to widespread acclaim including a nod on the long list for the Polaris Music Prize — an achievement that could justify a bit of boasting. That album joined five EPs released over the two years prior, and an expansive follow-up in this year’s Basis of Unity, all of them charting the progression of a musical vision that was singular from its earliest moments. There’s nothing fumbling or hesitant about Sharif’s fusion of hazy hip-hop atmosphere and free-form jazz, no false steps or second-guesses. It’s as if something was revealed the moment he put the saxophone to his lips: not an answer, but a pathway, a means of uncovering inner truths and sharing them at the same time. Five years into the journey, Sharif is still only starting to communicate—and we’d suggest you tune in.

- Peter Hemminger