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About James Brandon Lewis
Instrument: Saxophone, tenor
James Brandon Lewis, Joe Fonda, David Murray & Garfo
by Maurice Hogue
This episode is a definite mixed bag of styles and sounds, highlighted by a preview of James Brandon Lewis' Apple Cores with his trio, bassist Joe Fonda's second new release of late, this time with a top US quintet, new albums from Portuguese quartets Garfo and Talagbusao, Quebec band Brûlez Les Meubles, the latest from the David Murray Quartet, and brilliant duet by pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and drummer Joey Baron at the 2006 Willisau Festival in Switzerland.Playlist Irreversible ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Gifts
by Stefano Merighi
L'origine della musica come dono. Così dice Dave Douglas, presentando il suo ultimo lavoro in quartetto, cercando di immaginare il rapporto tra artista e fruitore come scambio limpido e disinteressato. È un dono che il trombettista fa anche a Billy Strayhorn, mitico compositore, collaboratore aureo di Duke Ellington dei periodi più creativi. Come altre volte, infatti, Douglas individua una figura-chiave per la propria formazione e la omaggia ina maniera del tutto personale. Come già per Mary Lou Williams, ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Gifts
by John Sharpe
Trumpeter Dave Douglas' talents as an improviser, composer and organizer are well known by now. In some ways the challenge for him is to find novel settings in which his abilities can be appreciated. If that is indeed an issue, then he has aced the test on Gifts, with a quartet that often sounds like a much larger ensemble, thanks to Rafiq Bhatia's widescreen guitar FX, man-of-the-moment tenor saxophone star James Brandon Lewis and drummer Ian Chang. ...
Continue ReadingThe Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis Electrify the Bowery Ballroom
by Dave Kaufman
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis played the Bowery Ballroom in New York City in May (2024). This performance stands out as one of the most memorable live music experiences I've had this year. JBL is one of the great saxophonists and artists in contemporary jazz and was recently featured in the Jazz Raconteur series. The Messthetics are an instrumental trio consisting of avant-garde guitarist Anthony Pirog and former legendary DC punk band Fugazi members bassist Joe Lally and drummer ...
Continue ReadingThe Messthetics: The Messthetics And James Brandon Lewis
by Chris May
There are few examples of ranking jazz saxophonists collaborating with rock bands, and even fewer that are as successful as this one featuring tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and the instrumental trio The Messthetics. One notable precedent is the partnership of Ethiopian tenor saxophonist Getatchew Mekurya with Dutch punk band The Ex, which exploded into life in concert and on record periodically between 2006 and 2012. In the mid-1950s, Mekurya, who wore a lion's mane headdress when appearing in Addis ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Gifts
by Mark Corroto
When does one become an elder statesman in jazz? Is it a function of age? Awards? Discography? While that question is up for debate, it is beyond doubt that Dave Douglas is an éminence grise, except one who definitely does not work behind the scenes. When did he achieve this status? Was it when he was awarded a Guggenheim? Or the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award? Maybe it was when he started the label Greenleaf Music. A better case can ...
Continue ReadingJames Brandon Lewis: For Mahalia With Love (Expanded Edition)
by Stefano Merighi
La musica di James Brandon Lewis è potente, assertiva, trascinante. Ma rivela talvolta, sotto lo strato di forza, una sottile e affascinante vulnerabilità emotiva, che rende ancora più ricco il suo discorso compositivo e solistico. Come nel caso di questo scintillante omaggio al mondo espressivo di Mahalia Jackson, che si realizza attraverso memorie familiari, quelle della nonna che ha trasmesso a James questa passione tuttora bruciante. Lewis è una delle voci più convincenti del jazz contemporaneo che non ...
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