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Molecular

James Brandon Lewis Quartet

Molecular

Awards:

Lewis is a compellingly brooding presence throughout, particularly on low tempo numbers such as ‘Breaking Code’ in which his potent crescendos and deep laments make for a very moving performance....

Molecular

James Brandon Lewis Quartet

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Awards:

Lewis is a compellingly brooding presence throughout, particularly on low tempo numbers such as ‘Breaking Code’ in which his potent crescendos and deep laments make for a very moving performance....

About

James Brandon Lewis Tenor Saxophone Aru?n Ortiz Piano Brad Jones Bass Chad Taylor Drums, Mbira. Saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis possesses an inspiring energy. His deep curiosity and the thrill he gets from discovery are crucial facets of his personality, and qualities that guide his art. Over the last half-decade he?s emerged as one of the most exciting figures in jazz and improvised music, a voracious listener who rejects stylistic hierarchies and one that has feverishly explored new ideas and embraced fresh motivations with every new project. Inspired by molecular biology James Brandon develops a special system for a surprising and beautiful music with his Quartet with drummer Chad Taylor, pianist Aru?n Ortiz, and bassist Brad Jones. He has taken the idea of a ?Molecular Systematic Music? to heart in the formulation of the compositions featured on the stunning debut album by this quartet. James Brandon Lewis says: ?I wrote out everything, but the reason I feel like the music is still free is because the lines dictate the harmonic information. With this band the music is going to lift off the page.? Listen to the recordings: The James Brandon Lewis Quartet takes off with an exuberant joy of playing and that rhythmic intensity and thematic beauty that is rooted in the jazz tradition.

Contents and tracklist

Awards and reviews

  • Jazzwise
    Editor's Choice
    February 2021
  • Downbeat
    Editor's Pick
    October 2020
  • Stereogum
    Best Jazz Albums of 2020

February 2021

Lewis is a compellingly brooding presence throughout, particularly on low tempo numbers such as ‘Breaking Code’ in which his potent crescendos and deep laments make for a very moving performance. The sax-led quartet has an illustrious history for any new incumbents to live up to but the JBLQ has staked a claim to be an important contemporary keeper of the flame.

October 2020

“Helix” finds the bandleader dispatching choked notes, maybe aurally sketching the twist and turns of the song’s titular structure; the following “Per1” stacks unusual combinations of notes to relate a similar visual idea with a considerably different feel. But the post-bop setting—however space-aged—recalls the best of quartet interplay, as pianist Aruan Ortiz and drummer Chad Taylor bounce rhythms off each other.
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