James Brandon Lewis - Apple Cores - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

At the nexus of Afrofuturism, science fiction, transcendental free jazz, and future hip hop, this new work from Eric Douglas Porter casts itself and it's creator in a liminal zone most recognizably charted by astral traveler Sun Ra. Circuitous follows nearly a decade of releases for Deepblak - the Oakland-rooted imprint of frequent collaborator Aybee - and shares common blood with both the elevated consciousness of late '80s club culture and contemporary west coast beat scene. Built around Porter's signature polyrhythms and complex melodies, the album's 14 tracks demonstrate an unorthodox agility honed over a long history of live improvised sets combining multiple turntables, upright bass, and a command center of digital tablets and controllers. Each track maps the artist's own movements, tracing paths of flight, highway trajectories through tunnels and over bridges, and rides through rough and gated neighborhoods. If familiar on the surface, deeper or repeated listening's to Circuitous reveal the dynamic multiplicity within. Circuitous is a free and unbound body of work - one that defies easy classification yet translates fluidly across multiple environments - presented on double LP in order to fully realize the scope of Afrikan Sciences' sonic palette. The album was mastered and cut by Rashad Becker at Dubplates & Mastering, pressed on 140-gram vinyl and CD, and features artwork by Louis Reith and Bill Kouligas.

2024 . On their Impulse! Debut album, Washington DC's experimental jazz punk trio the Messthetics (guitarist Anthony Pirog with drummer Brendan Canty and Joe Lally of iconic band Fugazi) join forces with acclaimed jazz tenor saxophonist, composer and bandleader James Brandon Lewis. Together, they widen the reach of decisive instrumental music through their overlapping of jazz, punk, funk, aggression and innovation.

2023 . James Brandon Lewis is a New York-based jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His instrumental voice marries the emotional power of gospel and the grit and groove of blues and R&B to the modal and vanguard influences of Albert Ayler and John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins' expressive melodic and tonal discipline. Lewis drew the attention of many improvising artists, most notably the saxophonist and jazz deity Sonny Rollins, who doesn't offer effusive praise very often. Moved by Lewis' deep, spirit-seeking sound, Rollins said InchWhen I listen to you, I listen to Buddha, I listen to Confucius... I listen to the deeper meaning of life. You are keeping the world in balance.Inch