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“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 — a musician 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.

The Buffalo-born Lewis spent his formative time working with Geri Allen, Wallace Roney, and Benny Golson before eventually landing at CalArts, where his studies with the late Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith cemented his inclinations as a seeker.

Five superb albums led to Lewis’s 2020 career breakthrough The Jesup Wagon, and his latest AUM Fidelity release, 2023’s For Mahalia, With Love, reimagines songs associated with the late gospel icon Mahalia Jackson.

Setlist
The Blues Stir Blossoms - James Brandon Lewis
Broken Shadows - Ornette Coleman
Left Alone - Billie Holliday, Mal Waldron
Within You He Answers - James Brandon Lewis
Apple Core - Gerry Mulligan
Someday We'll All Be Free - Donny Hathaway, Edward Howard, Kay Conley
Deville - James Brandon Lewis
Fear Not - James Brandon Lewis
Even The Sparrow - James Brandon Lewis

Personnel
James Brandon Lewis - tenor saxophonist
Josh Werner - bass
Chadeward Taylor - drums