Takoda N. Collins, 17, started out on the trumpet but begged for an alto saxophone. He did receive one, but he eventually realized that he wanted to play tenor sax. 

Borrowing one from his school until he could afford one, Collins has actually been self-taught on his musical journey and has been influenced and inspired by John Coltrane. 

Collins is anxious to begin performing more but was fortunate to have one memorable experience just before things shut down last year.

“A little over a year ago, I had the opportunity to play with a German buddy of mine named Tristan and his dad, who had come over on a visit from Germany,” Collins said. “[They were] here in Fort Wayne at Mad Anthony’s, right before COVID hit, and they had to go back to Europe. I remember starting the set watching the band with Tristan, who is a superb bass player himself, and then getting called to play a funky rendition of ‘My Favorite Things’ in 4 instead of the usual 3. We ended the night playing ‘Giant Steps,’ because at that point most of the audience were musicians themselves.”

Asked what he wants to accomplish in the future, Collins notes one modest goal.

“If you Google my name, I want a Wikipedia article to come up.”