Imani Wind Quintet playing at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium

As a rule, we don’t expect revolutionary music trends from classical chamber ensembles. But if ears are open to the Imani Wind Quintet, even the seasoned chamber listener will be surprised by the novel delights in sound, repertory and musical associations. It’s safe to say that there’s nobody else like them.

The 16-year-old New York City-based ensemble plays Sunday at Caltech’s Beckman Auditorium with guest pianist Anne-Marie McDermott. The African American quintet consists of flautist Valerie Coleman, oboist Toyin Spellman-Diaz, clarinetist Mariam Adam, French-horn player Jeff Scott and bassoonist Monica Ellis.

“This instrumentation,” Scott says from his home in the Bronx, “has been around since the 1700s. Anton Reicha, a French composer who was a contemporary of Beethoven, is considered the father of the wind quintet form. It was popular all through the Romantic period. Composers like Giuseppi Cambini wrote serviceable music, but Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Ravel and Strauss all wrote for the form.”

“Then there was nothing for almost a century,” Scott continues. “It fell by the wayside in the modern era. The New York Wind Quintet and the Philadelphia Wind Quintet commissioned a few contemporary composers like Hindemith and Samuel Barber to write, but those pieces just never caught on, for some reason. There was nothing new for us to draw upon, so we commissioned people to write for us. We would also arrange pieces within the group. Valerie and I contributed our own compositions.”

“My first arrangement,” Scott says, “was for a William Grant Still composition, ‘Inanga.’ Looking back, I don’t think I had the requisite feel. Valerie constantly tells me I should revisit the piece and rework it.”

Would Imani Winds consider going to some of the local jazz composers who know how to write for the wind idiom, like pianist Billy Childs and flautist James Newton?

Scott chuckles at the recognition, “We know them! Billy will probably give us a piece in the next three or four years. We have a lot of music to draw from, but there are only so many concerts on our schedule each year. It’s a source of frustration.”

Scott follows a certain standard when looking for compositions. “It’s got to feel good,” he stresses, “sound good, and it has to have meaning.”

Composer and pianist Chick Corea believes that every band has to have a mission — a reason for being, and a task that no other band can carry out. Asked about Imani’s mission, Scott says, “It’s twofold. Or threefold. Originally, we were an ensemble that champions the lesser-known composers and literature for our instrumentation. We also wanted to be role models for kids who looked like us and were interested in playing classical music.”

“Over the last seven or eight years,” he continues, “we’ve tried to make this group more meaningful than just our concert schedule and recordings. We want to leave a legacy of original music for the next generation of musicians. We’ve commissioned music by some of the finest composers from many genres: symphony, jazz, African and Latin. It’s important to us that we leave something behind.”

KIRK SILSBEE writes about jazz and culture for Marquee.

What: Imani Wind Quintet with Anne-Marie McDermott

Where: Beckman Auditorium, Caltech, 332 S. Michigan Ave.

When: Sunday, Nov. 4, 3:30 p.m.

Contact: (626) 793-4191, www.colemanchambermusic.org