Composer Anthony Branker leads the group Ascent, a jazz collective formed in 2004 dedicated to the performance of original new music by its founder, which has featured some of the most significant jazz artists working today, including Steve Wilson, Ralph Bowen, Antonio Hart, Bryan Carrott, Clifford Adams, Conrad Herwig, Jonny King, Belden Bullock, John Benitez, Ralph Peterson Jr., Renato Thoms, and Wilby Fletcher. The ensemble’s first CD project