James Brandon Lewis “Eye of I” (2nd show)

“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 of I. His Live Trio features electric bassist Josh Werner and drummer Chad Taylor .

“James Brandon Lewis’ solos are like a jumbo jet,” enthuses Marc Ribot. “You need to give them plenty of runway space to take off and land. Because they’re huge, not just in terms of sound, chops, soul, ideas, energy, and originality, (although they have all these in abundance), but because they’re carrying a precious cargo: the living legacy of John Coltrane. I’m not talking about some skillful ‘young lion’s’ reproduction of a historic jazz sound, but a young artist’s courage to take up the spiritual challenge—to channel what needs to be channeled now.”