It seems like a calm Sunday evening in San Francisco here on the 19th of April, but a musical storm is brewing at the SFJAZZ Center’s Joe Henderson Lab. The “future fusion collective” known as Instant Alter are in town, bringing jazzy improv and uplifting vibrations to help listeners transcend the chaos of the modern world. One viewing of the video for the group’s new single “Sun Polaris (Live)” makes it clear that they’ve got a dynamic sonic attack, along with spiritually oriented lyrical themes that make for a refreshing combo.
“This band is here as evidence of a humanity-centric future: the sound, the writing, the intention, the energy are all centered around expressing powerful human possibilities. This song is our mission statement,” vocalist Natasha Agrama says of “Sun Polaris” in a recent press release, going on to declare the vibrant song to be a defining statement for the group’s vision.
Led by Agrama and saxophonist Emilio Modeste, the New York-based group are making waves with their multi-dimensional sound and metaphysical vibe. Instant Alter’s self-titled 2025 debut album was produced by jazz fusion pioneer Stanley Clarke, who has multiple connections to the group.
Modeste is also the current saxophonist in Clarke’s band, and Agrama is Clarke’s stepdaughter. Modeste additionally played on bassist Dezron Douglas’ 2022 album Atalaya, while Agrama has performed and recorded with Kamasi Washington and the West Coast Get Down. Instant Alter also feature bassist Brandon Rose and drummers Miguel Russell and Myles Martin. However, tonight’s show is a special event billed to feature renowned drummer Will Calhoun from Living Colour, as well as sax legend Wayne Shorter‘s band.
“Instant Alter is every dream of the future caringly alchemized into an orb of sound and light. We carry the unknown with bravery and gentleness alike. We are inspired by all of the great storytellers from the past and future, all around the globe,” Modeste explains in the same press release regarding the group’s unique approach.
The early set starts at 6:00 pm with a venue staffer noting the show is part of an audience development initiative from Lo-Fi Oyster Co. This local events project seeks to connect experimental music, wine, and culinary communities to find new audiences and patrons.
As Instant Alter hit the stage, Natasha Agrama says they have a request for everyone to “Take all the static you’ve been hearing” this week, and this year and place it all on the sidewalk, visible through the clear glass walls that look out onto Franklin Street’s urban landscape, still in broad daylight. “It’s going to ignite itself and turn into a million little embers and come back in this room and bless us… and we’re gonna put on our dream shoes. Thank you for being with us to see what this dream feels like today,” she says as the group launches right into “Sun Polaris”.
The high-energy tune blasts off with hot sax over an active bass line, before Agrama comes in singing about being “here in future forms” with a “message from near time and space”. The Joe Henderson Lab is an intimate room that feels a little strange in the daylight, but Instant Alter’s vibrant sound commands attention, with Agrama bringing a quasi-shamanic presence through her powerful voice and shimmering silver dress.
“There’s this picture of how we see time, walking into the unknown. How do we know that our step is going to land?” Agrama asks as an intro to the next song. She speaks of time being “one of the most beautiful gods”, leading the group into “Orecao a Tempo”. It starts with a soft, melodic intro, a trancey bass line that sounds sort of like a guitar, with bassist Brandon Rose playing an instrument that seems like a hybrid of bass and guitar. The song builds cohesively into a big jam before returning to the softer section at the end.
Modeste triggers a sample of Tina Turner talking about getting things done with “true love”, then plays a mesmerizing sax melody that leads to trading musical phrases with Calhoun, who lays down percussion with a prominent cowbell and Latin jazz vibes that might also be described as “Brazilian tropicale”. The group build the sound strategically, with rhythmic clarity and a hot groove, Calhoun rocking a tight snare drum and sharp cowbell accents.
A peak moment in the set comes with “Golden Dawn”, a song featuring Agrama in a shamanic style spoken word intro: “May we all come to know the truth / After night time comes a golden down / All things are one in love / May we remain fortified in the face of lies / May we truly be love / May we be the golden dawn / Whenever nighttime comes.”
Modeste comes in with smoky sax in what feels like a neo-noir movie scene, with Calhoun and Rose providing dynamic accents as Agrama sings out with more emotion. It’s a powerful moment that feels like receiving a vibrational healing for the soul, especially with all the chaos in the world that Agrama spoke of releasing at the start of the set. It seems like the song speaks to viewing that current global chaos as the darkness before an impending dawn, which generates a truly uplifting and inspiring vibration. A strategic Tina Turner sample is triggered at the end, as her voice says, “I’ll tell you what freedom is to me: no fear.”
Another impressive moment occurs with Calhoun starting a jam on a unique instrument that seems like a cross between a hand drum and an electronic synth pad, with Tina’s “No fear” quote continuing to be sampled for further emphasis. Modeste takes a moment to thank Calhoun, noting that much of the music played was written with him in mind. Modeste also acknowledges the special bass that Brandon Rose is playing, explaining that Stanley Clarke gifted it. Rose delivers an extended solo with some cool harmonics that seem only possible due to the hybrid instrument’s guitar-style tone.
“We all return to love, it’s nothing new, what we tell you, it’s you who make it true,” Agrama says at the end of the set’s last tune. She seems like an angelic being from a science fiction film where humanity’s future turns in a positive direction, and who knows, maybe she is?
Yet this is only the end of the early set, and there’s another separately ticketed set at 7:30, as is often the case at jazz venues. Staying for the later set is rewarding on multiple levels, as twilight enhances the mood in the room. The setlist is mostly the same, but as the day turns to night and the stage lights come on, the increased ambience seems to inspire Instant Alter to go deeper into the jams.
The late set’s opening jam on “Sun Polaris” is a dazzling affair, as Agrama invites the audience on “a dream walk” with a “message from beyond time and space”. There are moments where the sax and bass seem to be soloing at the same time, yet in a cohesive sonic unity, thanks to the high-level musicianship. Agrama sings of collectively dreaming peace into existence, backed by the sonic force of music that seems to be pushing to manifest peace from our dreams and the power of love.
“Orecao a Tempo” takes on a torchy jazz noir vibe with the twilight and blue stage lights, before Modeste and Rose step up for a sensational sax and bass jam that makes it feel like the Joe Henderson Lab might start to levitate. “Golden Dawn” is once again a triumph of the spirit, with Modeste leading a smoking jam on the sax, Agrama wishing “May we all come to know the truth,” and then singing out about that golden dawning “where all beings are one and love”.
Calhoun and his cowbell conjure another hot groove, while Agrama speaks of holding on to a vision of what you hold hope for, that the greatest good would be interlocked and interwoven so that “our steps will land”. Rose backs her with an infectious bass line as he, Calhoun, and Modeste lock in again on a stellar jam. When the song ends, Modeste says that Rose’s bass sounds like four different instruments. It’s an impressive instrument indeed, which helps to explain Instant Alter’s multi-dimensional sound. He also notes that the group will be back in the Bay Area at the San Jose Jazz Festival in August, as well as shows at San Francisco’s Black Cat jazz club.
The Tina Turner samples return at the end, asking, “Can we change the negative to the positive?” This metaphysical goal seems to be a guiding force behind Instant Alter’s music, propelling the band to an elite level among all too few groups with spiritual ambitions to match their musical prowess. The future appears to be bright for Instant Alter and, in turn, for humanity.