Like photographs, music has a way of capturing moments in time. For trumpeter Allison Philips, her new album ‘Make It Better’ is a documentation to perseverance, community, and the power of creativity in the face of adversity. Written primarily during the peak of the pandemic, this record is both a personal reflection and a shared experience of a world in flux.

In the fall of 2019, after five years in Amsterdam, Allison Philips returned to Brooklyn—just months before the world shut down. The timing was far from ideal. Without access to the unemployment benefits many of her peers relied on, she took a job with a catering company that had shifted its focus to feeding those in need. For over a year and a half, she worked in a warehouse in Queens, biking six miles each way through the bitter New York winter, often spending long days on an unheated loading dock. The experience was isolating yet unexpectedly humbling and inspiring, and much of the album’s music was written during this time.

By embracing both the weight of the past and the promise of what’s ahead, Philips turns a time of uncertainty into an artistic statement of resilience, remembrance, and hope. Her music serves as a powerful reminder that it can transcend time, while simultaneously deepening our connection to one another.