Today, award-winning, Juilliard-trained singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Braxton Cook is proud announce more shows in support of his latest album, Not Everyone Can Go. The new dates include a performace at this summer’s Newport Jazz Festival and several shows in October supporting Black Violin. Tickets are on sale now and all dates can be found at: www.braxtoncook.com.
Not Everyone Can Go is a visionary statement on conflict, resolution, and renewed love. It was conceived in a moment of transition and reflects the tensions after a year of balancing a busy touring schedule with family life. The album’s arc stretches from uncertainty to gratitude, as Braxton doubles down on his family, letting go of what no longer serves him. The album has drawn high praise from NPR to Essence, Downbeat to Jazziz, Vibe and countless others.
As his most collaborative effort yet, Braxton draws from all parts of Black American music, expanding the definition of what jazz can be. Notable features include Elijah Fox, Nate Smith, Joshua Crumbly, Marie Dahlstrom, NAVVY, and more. Standout singles like “Zodiac,” “My Everything,” and “We’ve Come So Far” debuted on his NPR Tiny Desk Concert performance earlier this year. As NPR producer Ashley Pointer stated, Braxton Cook is ready to take “center stage” with his most dynamic release to date.
One can hear Cook breaking through on Not Everyone Can Go, a mix of jazz and R&B that feels indebted to similar hybrids of yesteryear. Musically, the album conjures images of bright evening sunshine, when the temperature begins to cool. Not quite Quiet Storm, instead, Not Everyone Can Go dabbles between the margins, which won’t surprise those who’ve followed Cook to this point. Across albums like Somewhere In Between, No Doubt, and Who Are You When No One Is Watching?, he’s made a career of blurring the lines between genres, landing on a sound that isn’t one thing, in particular. While that’s made his music tough to pin down, that also makes it all the more intriguing. That you can’t label it just R&B or just jazz lends to the music’s attraction.
Lyrically, Not Everyone Can Go follows the trek of conflict, from where a romantic relationship faces challenges to when the couple makes it to the other side. The album soundtracks that journey without placing blame on one person or the other. Instead, Cook assesses his own role in the disconnect, as if doing the necessary self-work to show up fully for his significant other. The album’s second half incorporates love songs about the rediscovery of affection, taking sonic cues from late-‘90s R&B, with its slow, body-rolling pace and lush electric keys. “The last part of the album is the action for me,” Cook said. “It’s the act of rebuilding these relationships the way that I want and the way that I see them, and that’s what those love songs are about. ‘Bad’ is very much about taking my wife back out on a date. As if we were just courting each other all over again.”
Ultimately, Not Everyone Can Go is about embracing change, that when seasons arrive where moves are inevitable, you have to lean into them. “This particular record is a reminder to myself and others to take stock in what it is you have and be grateful for the breath in your lungs.”
BRAXTON COOK 2026 TOUR DATES
7/30/26 Portsmouth, NH Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club
7/31/26 Newport, RI Newport Jazz Festival
8/10/26 Appleton, WI Jazz Coterie – Gibson Music Hall
8/11/26 Stevens Point, WI Jazz Coterie – Stevens Point Country Club
8/12/26 Minneapolis, MN Dakota
8/13/26 Omaha, NE Midtown Crossing – Jazz on the Green
8/14/26 Evanston, IL Space
8/16/26 Ann Arbor, MI Blue Llama Jazz Club
8/16/26 Ann Arbor, MI Blue Llama Jazz Club
9/17/26 Honolulu, HI Blue Note Hawaii
9/17/26 Honolulu, HI Blue Note Hawaii
10/1/26 Providence, RI Uptown Theater*
10/2/26 Washington D.C. Warner Theatre*
10/3/26 Newberry, SC Newberry Opera House*
10/4/26 Greensboro, NC Steven Tanger Center for Performing Arts*
10/5/26 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre*
10/6/26 Greenville, SC The Mockingbird
10/8/26 Tallahassee, FL The Moon*
10/9/26 Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips Center – Steinmetz Hall*
10/11/26 Fort Lauderdale, FL Au-Rene Theater*
10/13/26 Tampa, FL Straz Center for the Performing Arts*
10/14/26 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre*
10/15/26 Charleston, SC Charleston Galliard Center*
7/31/26 Newport, RI Newport Jazz Festival
8/10/26 Appleton, WI Jazz Coterie – Gibson Music Hall
8/11/26 Stevens Point, WI Jazz Coterie – Stevens Point Country Club
8/12/26 Minneapolis, MN Dakota
8/13/26 Omaha, NE Midtown Crossing – Jazz on the Green
8/14/26 Evanston, IL Space
8/16/26 Ann Arbor, MI Blue Llama Jazz Club
8/16/26 Ann Arbor, MI Blue Llama Jazz Club
9/17/26 Honolulu, HI Blue Note Hawaii
9/17/26 Honolulu, HI Blue Note Hawaii
10/1/26 Providence, RI Uptown Theater*
10/2/26 Washington D.C. Warner Theatre*
10/3/26 Newberry, SC Newberry Opera House*
10/4/26 Greensboro, NC Steven Tanger Center for Performing Arts*
10/5/26 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre*
10/6/26 Greenville, SC The Mockingbird
10/8/26 Tallahassee, FL The Moon*
10/9/26 Orlando, FL Dr. Phillips Center – Steinmetz Hall*
10/11/26 Fort Lauderdale, FL Au-Rene Theater*
10/13/26 Tampa, FL Straz Center for the Performing Arts*
10/14/26 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theatre*
10/15/26 Charleston, SC Charleston Galliard Center*
* – Supporting Black Violin
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