Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño & Friends at TreePeople

Pre-Order Item. Release Date Subject to Change.
Label: International Anthem
Release Date: 19th September

This album is a real trip, recorded underneath black oak and walnut trees in Coldwater Canyon Park, Los Angeles. Percussionist,producer and all-round spiriutal music guide Carlos Niño collaborates with the weighty, grounded but cosmically enlightened prose of Saul Williams. It's a record like few others I've heard but it's completely enthralling and the 'Friends' include some of the great modern spiritual jazz players with Kamasi Washington, Nate Mercereau, Aaron Shaw, Andres Renteria, Francesca Heart and Maia all adding to the otherworldly vibes. 

Saul Williams meets Carlos Niño & Friends at TreePeople is the first collaborative
album from poet/vocalist Saul Williams and percussionist/producer Carlos Niño.
The album was recorded live underneath black oak and walnut trees in Coldwater Canyon Park, Los Angeles, on December 18, 2024.

The performance, which was organized by Noah Klein of Living Earth on the grounds of  longstanding conservationist organization TreePeople, was the first of its kind for Williams and Niño, who have been friends since the late 1990s.

For the occasion, Niño assembled and directed an ensemble of frequent collaborators including Nate Mercereau (Guitar Synthesizer, Live Sampling with Midi Guitar, Sample Sources), Aaron Shaw (Flute, Soprano Saxophone with Pedals, Tenor Saxophone), Andres Renteria (Bells, Congas, Egyptian Rattle Drum, Hand Drums, Percussion), Maia (Flute, Vibraphone, Voice), Francesca Heart (Computer, Conch Shell, Sound Design), and Kamasi Washington (Tenor Saxophone). Available Friday September 19th, 2025.