The luminary musicians who make up Black Art Jazz Collective have such respectively busy careers that it’s hard to get this sextet together. Fair enough.

But when BAJC do assemble, the results are profoundly inspirational and, frankly, a complete blast to listen to. The group is Wayne Escoffery (tenor saxophone), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), James Burton III (trombone), Victor Gould (piano), Eric Wheeler (bass) and Brian Richburg Jr (drums), and the longtime friends are as committed to the significant history of Blacks in jazz as they are to composing empathetic material and celebrating Black culture and politics in a positive way.

Their most recent album is “Ascension,” and expect to be treated to much of that material when they play Friday in Old Lyme’s Side Door Jazz Club. And speaking of the venue, its proprietors Ken Kitchings and Jan Mullen were integral in the release of the band’s first album, “Presented by the Side Door Jazz Club.”

Black Art Jazz Collective, 8:30 p.m. Friday, Side Door Jazz, 85 Lyme St., Old Lyme; $34-$60; thesidedoorjazz.com.