James Brandon Lewis Quartet At Solar Myth

James Brandon Lewis Quartet
Solar Myth
Philadelphia, PA
June 9, 2025

Freshly minted album in hand, the James Brandon Lewis quartet filed down the center aisle of Solar Myth and took the stage before a sold-out, anticipatory audience. Then, they rocked the house, establishing themselves as a top-ranked, forward-looking power quartet. Boiling over with talent, they have honed their skills, empathy and group dynamics over five albums and five years together. Lewis, Aruán Ortiz (piano), Brad Jones (bass) and Chad Taylor (drums) have coalesced into a higher-level entity fully in tune with Lewis' vision.

No longer the rising star, Lewis has emerged from his roots in the music of Albert Ayler, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and David S. Ware to become a significant voice all his own. Perhaps it is his Molecular Systematic Music concept bearing fruit, the point of which (apologies to Mr. Lewis for the oversimplification. Read more at MOLECULAR SYSTEMATIC MUSIC: PART I) is to untangle and understand one's musical influences (DNA) and intentionally evolve one's art therefrom. Whatever the actualization process, the results are a personal sound and compositional approach distinctly his own.

The just-released album Abstraction Is Deliverance (Intakt Records, 2025) comprised most of the set. These pieces are more lyrical, impressionistic and ballad-like than previous recordings, with catchy melodies rendered with smoldering passion and a restrained underlying tension. Live, the performances were more outgoing, the exuberance dialed up. For instance, Lewis' soloing on the title cut from the album and the tune "Polaris," both with embedded earworm romantic piano etudes, was more fiery than in the recording. Likewise, the entire set was inspired, combining passion, skills and intelligence.

All their albums together are excellent, but hearing them live is a next-level experience. Lewis, introspective and calm to start, would burst into fire-breathing, soulful runs, filling the room with his huge tenor sound. Jones, intense and focused, reeled off deep, rich lines. No cello emulator, this guy. Taylor, obviously enjoying himself, shifted meters and rhythms on a dime, continuously layering sounds and accents. Then there is Ortiz. One minute, his hands would sail off in opposite directions, the next he would jab downward with pointed fingers, then lay down chords followed by flights of frenzy, ending in a return to melody. His crystal tone and staccato touch on the more delicate, earworm melodies contrasted wonderfully.

The fortunate attendees who snagged tickets early were rewarded with a show not soon forgotten. It will come as no surprise if this quartet is one day considered legendary, with young tenor players citing James Brandon Lewis as a significant inspiration.

The Solar Myth venue has come a long way since its inception as a country and western bar in the 1950s. Shuttered for years, it reemerged in the 2000s as an indie rock hangout. On this Monday evening, though, Lewis and his mates owned the house and cemented Solar Myth's status as the primary site of cutting-edge, improvisatory music in Philadelphia. The original Boot and Saddle sign still glows like a beacon over the entrance, and may have been glowing a bit more this night, perhaps drawing on the energy released within. Or it could simply have been the personal afterglow from a fantastic concert.

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