After notable tours across Europe, the James Brandon Lewis Quartet has returned to America in support of the great new recording Omni and their first-ever residency at the landmark venue the Village Vanguard is the almight culmination of their fantastic work. Over the course of six recordings, James Brandon Lewis (on saxophone and leading), Aruán Ortiz (on piano), Brad Jones (on bass), and Chad Taylor (on drums) have established themselves as a premier jazz outfit and watching them together on stage is a truely special experience. "I don't wanna talk, I'd rather just play" said Brandon Lewis as the band gathered on stage and as soon as he made that statement, he dropped the mic and hit the first song of the night, taking the band into an immediate foray of extraordinary jazz that melted faces, something that would've happened regardless of the heatwave that also happened to be blanketing the city. The straight ahead melodies and bodacious grooves were sublime and perfectly fitting of the legendary venue, an intimate setting that the quartet made sure to reach with every possible note. Lewis wailed away while Taylor kept a steady and slight rhythm, hitting the marks in a much more minimal capacity than expected, yet one that really let his bandmates shine with stunning precision. Opening the second number of the evening, Ortiz took it away with a novel performance on the keys that illuminated the room with his twinkling pleasure, the lush and esteemed playing a respite of joy on such a sweltering evening it almost took the room out of the unbearable heat to transport us to a world of hopes and dreams. After his delightful lead, the rest of the group joined in for a smooth and pleasant follow through that continued their swirling and emphatic jams. While Lewis naturally took the lead throughout the night, there was a clear balance amongst the group and in standard fashion, each had their moment to let loose and really put their skills on full display. Of course it all came back to Lewis and his undeniable talent was the star attraction for the course of the night. Blaring away, his style was triumphant and he made sure to level the room with his sensational soloing. Rhythms picked up throughout the night and when the band hit their full stride towards the end of their set, they became electric, each of them firing on all cylinders and really giving in to the moment. As one of modern jazz's most exciting contributors, James Brandon Lewis proves on stage that he's not only a phenomenal performer, but a band leader of the moment as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment