James Brandon Lewis Quartet

James Brandon Lewis Quartet

(CU, US) 

The ascent of New York tenor saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis as a force in improvised music hasn’t slowed since he played at Jazzfest Berlin in 2019. He continues to lead several distinct bands all with different approaches, and he has achieved broad acclaim and popularity without tempering his vision. Among those ensembles none reflect his deep respect for and knowledge of jazz history more than this dynamic quartet with Cuban pianist Aruán Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Chad Taylor. Earlier this year the combo released its fifth album “Abstraction Is Deliverance”, a beautifully measured endeavor which reflects the leader’s admiration for the soul-seeking aesthetic of tenor greats like John Coltrane, David Murray, and David S. Ware – who is saluted on the lithe mid-tempo beauty that opens the recording, “Ware”.

But on a tune like the noir-ish “Mr. Crick” the lush, romantic cadences of the beautiful melody are expertly contrasted by Ortiz’s ambiguous chords, creating a ravishing tension. The band transmits a meditative aesthetic that embraces the album title as a credo, moving toward and away from composed material and letting spontaneous expression lead the way toward spiritual resolution. While the new record is meditative, the quartet can still summon great reserves of power and tumult, channeling abstraction in more explosive ways.