FEB 23-26 | NOISE POP AND SFJAZZ PRESENT
Feb 24, 2023
Joe Henderson Lab
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
“A saxophonist who embodies and transcends tradition” (The New York Times), James Brandon Lewis has become, in just over a decade, one of the most celebrated young artists in jazz — an artist who has carved a niche for his singular mixture of gospel, blues, and R&B with the incendiary saxophone explorations of John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and Sonny Rollins. His performance coincides with the release of his new ANTI Records recording, Eye and I, with a trio featuring electric bassist Josh Werner and drummer Andy Niven.
The Buffalo-born Lewis spent his formative time at Howard University working with Geri Allen, Wallace Roney, and Benny Golson before eventually landing at CalArts, where his studies with the late Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith cemented his inclinations as a seeker. He released his debut Moments in 2010, setting him on his path as a bandleader and composer.
Four increasingly audacious albums followed, recorded with a multi-generational array of masters including veteran bassist William Parker, electric bass luminary Jamaladeen Tacuma, drummer Chad Taylor, and the late trumpet genius jaime branch, leading to Lewis’s 2020 career breakthrough, The Jesup Wagon.
Eye and I marks Lewis’ first project with this new high-energy trio that brings a sharp, stripped-down focus to his work, charting new lands on a voyage that is just beginning.
Eye and I marks Lewis’ first project that brings a sharp, stripped-down focus to his work, charting new lands on a voyage that is just beginning.
When I listen to you, I listen to Buddha, I listen to Confucius … I listen to the deeper meaning of life. You are keeping the world in balance.
Sonny Rollins on James Brandon Lewis
When I listen to you, I listen to Buddha, I listen to Confucius … I listen to the deeper meaning of life. You are keeping the world in balance.
Sonny Rollins on James Brandon Lewis
Personnel
James Brandon Lewis tenor saxophone
Josh Werner electric bass
Andy Niven drums
The saxophonist has balanced a deep, gospel-informed spirituality with free-jazz abandon and hard-hitting funk-meets–hip-hop underpinnings.
Rolling Stone on James Brandon Lewis
Personnel
James Brandon Lewis tenor saxophone
Josh Werner electric bass
Andy Niven drums
The saxophonist has balanced a deep, gospel-informed spirituality with free-jazz abandon and hard-hitting funk-meets–hip-hop underpinnings.
Rolling Stone on James Brandon Lewis
Watch & Listen
James Brandon Lewis
Lowlands of Sorrow
James Brandon Lewis
Seer
James Brandon Lewis
Lowlands of Sorrow
James Brandon Lewis
Seer