James Brandon Lewis

DIGIPACK EDITION

4 STARS ALL MUSIC GUIDE

New York City-based tenor saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis, who’s been one jazz’s most forward-thinking and cutting-edge artists over the last decade, has returned with a superb new trio album on the Los Angeles, titled Eye Of I.

Also featuring cellist Chris Hoffman and drummer Max Jaffe, this incredible 11-track album blends adventurous solos and free-wheeling avant improvisation with soulful melodies and spiritual grooves that all meld together nicely. Most of the compositions are written by JBL, however the record also includes some solid renditions of Donny Hathaway’s “Someday We’ll all be Free” and Cecil Taylor’s “Womb Water,” along with the epic collaborative work “Fear Not” with The Messthetics (featuring Fugazi members bassist Joe Lally & drummer Brendan Canty with guitarist Anthony Pirog).

PERSONNEL:

• James Brandon Lewis - (tenor sax)
• Chris Hoffman - (cello, pedals)
• Max Jaffe - (drums, sensory percussion)

TRACKS:

• 01. Foreground
• 02. Someday We'll all be Free
• 03. The Blues Still Blossoms
• 04. Middle Ground
• 05. Eye Of I
• 06. Within you are Answers
• 07. Womb Water
• 08. Background
• 09. Send Seraphic Beings
• 10. Even The Sparrow
• 11. Fear Not (feat. The Messthetics)