James Brandon Lewis is now one of the top composers, bandleaders and tenor saxophonists of the world jazz scene, so each new album drop is going to garner load of attention. That certainly applies for his Quartet, which boasts pianist Aruán Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Chad Taylor backing Lewis. Well, the James Brandon Lewis Quartet just dropped their latest and it continues the astonishing development of Lewis as an advanced composer. Omni (Intakt Records) is the sixth release by his Quartet, and a new release for the third year in a row.
The rapid-fire succession of new material isn’t diluting the quality; it merely means the music is evolving at a fast pace. What started out as six- or seven- tone system has grown to twelve tones and beyond.
After the short plaintive saxophone salutation of “Omnipotent,” the bands leaps right into the current state of Lewis’ ‘Molecular Systematic Music’ concept. “The Sermon” takes modern jazz to its limits, resembling the urgent, nervous “Riot” by Miles Davis’ second great quintet. But listen to that Jones/Taylor rhythm section and you’ll find a completely different, muscular fragmented approach that just sends the song into a wide orbit. That’s plenty enough to prompt Lewis to rain down a vibrant downpour of notes.
Lewis continues to flirt with avant-gardism, applying accelerando to “Fire In My Bones,” bringing the melody at the bursting point when maximum velocity is reached, then slows down to a lazy pace, the sax sounding almost pre-bop; it’s as if ‘fast’ represents jazz at the frontier and ‘slow’ being jazz back in its tradition.
“Testify” is testifyin’ the blues here, starting out with a wail and settling into a sax procession that simulates a blues shouter, not a saxophone. Ortiz maintains the mood with a barrelhouse piano.
The spirituality of John Coltrane is never far from Lewis and he delivers an authoritative sermon in the Church of Trane during the “Call To Worship” that’s bound to chase all the demons away. Jones afterwards offers soothing counterpoints on his turn. “Spirit of the Living God” is another testimonial and here, Taylor’s circular rhythm seems completely at odds with the other three performers who are playing at a much slower place. They created an illusion because the timekeeping is actually on point and over time the synchronicity gradually becomes more evident.
The closing “Omnipresent” is powerful and subdued at once. Lewis extends his notes so they leave large footprints as Taylor orchestrates a quiet turbulence behind him.
James Brandon Lewis continues to push his artistry forward when it appears it’s reached the limit. There’s no limit to what Lewis can conceive and put into action, however, and Omni is yet another major achievement for him and his Quartet.
Omni is available now, via Bandcamp.
- James Brandon Lewis Quartet – ‘Omni’ (2026) - June 26, 2026
- Huntertones, “Melodian” from ‘Transmission’ (2026): Sneak Peek - June 20, 2026
- OM – ‘Südpol’ (2026) - June 18, 2026
