Braxton Cook announces new album ‘Not Everyone Can Go’ + Shares new song “All My Life” + Headline Tour Dates

When artist, singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Braxton Cook started working on the album that would become Not Everyone Can Go, his life was going through many transitions that he just couldn’t ignore. After a whirlwind year touring across Europe, Asia, and the U.S., Cook reflected on the difficulties of juggling his career with family life. “It was a lot to manage,” he says. He noticed a theme emerging and came to the conclusion: It was OK to let go of things that weren’t serving him any longer. Transitions were natural as he stepped into fatherhood. “It was only pushing me more in that direction of understanding,” he continued. “There’s grief that comes along with having to let certain things go to make time for the things I truly value.”

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. It’s like, Man, I’m alive. I got up today. I have two beautiful kids. And, it’s going to be alright.”

BRAXTON COOK 2025 TOUR DATES:

NORTH AMERICAN DATES:
June 13 – San Francisco, CA @ San Francisco Jazz Festival
June 19 – Santa Cruz, CA @ Kuumbwa Jazz Center
June 20 – Napa, CA @ Blue Note Napa (early and late show)
August 31 – Napa, CA @ Blue Note Jazz Festival’s The Black Radio Experience
September 5 – Phoenix, AZ @ Musical Instrument Museum
September 9 – Los Angeles, CA @ TBD Venue
September 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ TBD Venue
October 1 – Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
October 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Bop Shop
October 4 – Durham, NC @ Missy Lane’s Block Party
October 28 – Seattle, WA @ Jazz Alley Restaurant and Nightclub
October 29 – Seattle, WA @ Jazz Alley Restaurant and Nightclub
October 30 – Portland, OR @ The Jack London Revue (2 shows)
November 1 – Sacramento, CA @ The Starlet Room @ Harlow’s
November 11 – New York, NY @ Blue Note NYC
November 12 – New York, NY @ Blue Note NYC
November 13 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd
November 15 – Philadelphia, PA @ Milkboy
November 16 – Boston, MA @ City Winery

EUROPEAN DATES:
November 19 – Paris, FR @ Duc Des Lombards
November 20 – Paris, FR @ Duc Des Lombards
November 21 – London, UK @ Jazz Cafe
November 23 – Manchester, UK @ Yes

Media Praise for Braxton Cook:

“…a refreshing jazz-R&B take on Black love…”
– Billboard

“genre-jumping artist whose music feels both contemporary and timeless”
– NPR Music

“…powerful… rich… avant-garde…”
– PAPER Magazine

“Cook’s soulful sound seamlessly intertwines jazz with funk, soul, and gospel, a testament to the passionate and thoughtful work he puts out”
– OkayPlayer

“Jazz prodigy…with his alto saxophone and other acoustic instruments, the album uses electronic textures, hip-hop- and trap-inspired beats, plus Cook’s own vocal…”
– The Washington Post

“Braxton Cook had us in a trance with his new single, “Weekend, featuring Swiss soul singer, NNAVY. Collectively, the two singers embrace a push-pull tension of balancing work, life and love.”
– VIBE