Chad Taylor and James Brandon Lewis photo courtesy of the artists
Saturday, February 26, 8pm
Chapel Performance Space
4649 Sunnyside Ave N
$10-20
BY M.V. SMITH
One of the defining jazz artists of his generation, James Brandon Lewis was voted Rising Star tenor saxophonist in DownBeat magazine’s 2020 Critics Poll. Lewis blows hard, his tone invoking the burly urgency of Pharaoh Sanders. Drawing inspiration from the life and career of agricultural innovator George Washington Carver, on his 2021 Jesup Wagon, Lewis and cornetist Kirk Knuffke intertwine polyphonic melodies with the passionate intensity of Albert and Donald Ayler. The drummer on Jesup Wagon,and Lewis’s duo partner for this performance, is Chad Taylor. Amongst other projects, Taylor is most notably the co-founder of the Chicago Underground ensembles, and a veteran on both Jaimie Branch’s FLY or DIE and Marc Ribot’s trio with Henry Grimes. On their 2018 record, Radiant Imprints, Lewis and Taylor interpret the saxophone/drums duo tradition of John Coltrane and Rashied Ali, adapting Coltrane and Ali’s “Seraphic Light” into their own “Radiance.” Lewis and Taylor engage in subtle, empathetic dialogue; Taylor’s style inviting comparisons to both the shifting textures and polyrhythmic density of Elvin Jones and the nimble, delicate simplicity of Billy Higgins. Tickets.
