Drummer Brandon Sanders has never taken the conventional path. Once a college basketball player at the University of Kansas and a DJ in Compton, Sanders didn’t even pick up a pair of drumsticks until the age of 25. While most musicians his age already had years of experience performing and recording, Sanders was just beginning his journey. Yet in the decades since, he has carved out an inspiring story of determination, discipline, and artistry that shines through every note he plays.
On November 7, 2025, Sanders will release his third album, Lasting Impression, via Savant/HighNote Records. The record follows his debut Compton’s Finest (2023) and sophomore effort The Tables Will Turn (2024), and cements his place as a drummer who makes music not to showcase chops but to connect deeply with listeners. “I always want to make music that sticks with people,” Sanders says. “I’m not trying to show off my technical abilities. I just want to tell the story of who I am as an artist and make good music from start to finish.”
Lasting Impression features an exceptional band designed to stay with the listener long after the final track fades. Vibraphonist Warren Wolf, who has played on all three of Sanders’ releases, returns once again, joined by saxophonist Stacy Dillard, pianist Eric Scott Reed, and bassist Eric Wheeler. The album also features Grammy-nominated vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, who lends her voice to two tracks, including a soulful rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do).” For the album’s closer, Sanders reconfigured the band into an intimate quartet, with Wolf alongside pianist Tyler Bullock and bassist Ameen Saleem, creating a reflective and personal finish.
Sanders’ unusual musical journey helps explain the spirit of resilience and groove that defines his work. Raised in a musical family, he grew up surrounded by instruments and stories of jazz greats who frequented his grandmother Ernestine Parker’s Kansas City nightclub, Casablanca. After moving to Compton with his mother as a toddler, he absorbed the neighborhood’s rhythms, first through beatboxing and DJing, before turning to the drums as a young man.
His path took him back to Kansas for college, where he balanced basketball with an emerging passion for jazz. Sanders studied jazz history with Dick Wright, who introduced him to the classic Blue Note and Prestige catalogs and encouraged his budding obsession with record collecting. After graduation, Sanders found himself drawn to the drums at his church and committed to the instrument with the same discipline he once gave basketball. Within two years, he had earned a place at Berklee College of Music, where he studied under Joe Lovano and Bill Pierce and played alongside peers like Christian Scott, Luques Curtis, and Warren Wolf.
At Berklee, his talent and drive became undeniable. Sanders quickly rose to performing in elite ensembles and began forging relationships with musicians who would later become his closest collaborators. After moving to New York in 2004, he led groups that included future stars Esperanza Spalding and Jon Batiste and balanced music with a parallel career as a social worker in the city’s schools, nurturing both students and his art.
Willie Jones III, one of Sanders’ mentors and a highly respected drummer, has produced all three of his albums. Sanders likens Jones’ influence to that of Dr. Dre or Quincy Jones, shaping and guiding projects with a masterful ear. “I may not be the next Tony Williams, but I know how to make the music feel good,” Sanders reflects. “I come from the party vibe, so I try to make sure that people are snapping their fingers and bobbing their heads. Even people that ordinarily don’t listen to jazz, they feel it.”
On Lasting Impression, Sanders achieves exactly that. From Bobby Hutcherson’s “8/4 Beat,” which opens the record as a showcase for Wolf, to Reed’s originals “Shadoboxing” and “No BS for B.S.,” to Sanders’ own buoyant title track and the poignant “Tales of Mississippi,” the album offers a balance of joy, reflection, and groove. Dillard’s take on Mal Waldron’s “Soul Eyes” dives deep into its longing and beauty, while Horn’s contributions add both intimacy and soul.
Though Sanders came to the drums later than most, his first decades were far from wasted. They gave him the discipline of athletics, the instincts of a DJ, the grounding of family history, and the perseverance of someone determined to catch up with—and hold his own among—the great drummers he admired. Now, more than ever, those qualities pour forth in his music, ensuring that Brandon Sanders continues to leave a lasting impression.
Lasting Impression was recorded on March 30, 2025, and will be released on November 7, 2025, via Savant/HighNote Records.
