Eye Of I

James Brandon Lewis Trio

Anti- Records, 2023

http://jblewis.com

REVIEW BY: John Mulhouse

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/06/2023

I’ll start right off by saying that I’m not remotely as conversant in jazz as I am in, say, the minutiae of SST Records, but I do know what I like. Given that, it’s unsurprising that James Brandon Lewis first came across my radar due to his collaboration with The Messthetics, the Washington, D.C.-based instrumental band that features Brendan Canty and Joe Lally, also known as the rhythm section of Fugazi, and guitarist Andy Pirog. Their collaboration, “Fear Not,” appears as the final song on this new album by what is otherwise the James Brandon Lewis Trio, including Chris Hoffman on cello and pedals and Max Jaffee on drums and sensory percussion. Lewis himself is credited with tenor saxophone alone.

Anyway, back to what I like, which is jazz that is sometimes gentle, sometimes elegiac, and occasionally pushes at the edges of dissonance; this record has all that and more in spades. While The Messthetics provided the entry point, I’m very much enjoying familiarizing myself with the James Brandon Lewis Trio on its own merits.

The first song, “Foreground,” really just sets the stage in 0:44. After that, “Someday We’ll All Be Free” immediately brings in the kind of lyrical—even occasionally slightly melancholy—saxophone playing that I quite appreciate and which remains front and center throughout most of the album. Despite the generally relaxed tone and non-linear percussion, the song somehow puts me in mind of steady movement, like a long walk down a hot and humid country road somewhere not too far from New Orleans, a mood enhanced by the addition of Kirk Knuffke on cornet. “The Blues Still Blossoms” furthers that theme while slowing down a bit, that heat and humidity becoming languid, yet the tone stately, unhurried, and dignified, Hoffman’s plucked cello following alongside while Jaffee rolls and tumbles. It’s probably my favorite tune on the album, and it should be said that there’s a lot of conversation going on between the players on this song and throughout my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 Eye Of I. They’re listening to each other closely, and I’m sure these songs shift and transform greatly from night to night.

After that, “Middle Ground” suddenly injects some pure dissonance and hard be-bop that I can hang with for a bit, but is not always my cup o’ tea for the long haul. As the track lasts 0:47 it’s just enough of a blast to make sure you haven’t drifted away. The song leads into the title track, which keeps near the free jazz realm and is somewhat ominous, with rumbling percussion and bowed, processed cello. Lewis, while not as dissonant as in “Middle Ground,” remains unsettled and more confrontational than on what’s come previously. Next follows the beautiful “Within You Are Answers,” which starts as a gospel lullaby, Lewis playing slow and sweet with comparatively light initial accompaniment that builds as the song moves along before gently fading.

“Womb Water” returns to a slightly freer tack, continuing that into the 0:29 “Background” before “Send Seraphic Beings” produces another of the album’s high points. The initial motif puts me in mind of Coltrane a bit before things get pretty free and again there’s that sense of motion. “Even the Sparrow” then seems to bring things full circle via more liquid, patient pacing, with all the musicians—Kirk Knuffke is back on cornet—staying low and slow.

The final track is the aforementioned “Fear Not,” featuring The Messthetics along with Shahzad Ismaily on moog, and it’s a dynamic mix of jazz and driving instrumental rock that fans of both recent Dischord Records bands and Sun Ra should be able to dig into. Liner notes are by Thurston Moore, emphasizing that the James Brandon Lewis Trio deftly brings an avant/progressive rock philosophy to very contemporary jazz. If you are a fan of, say, the Vandermark Five or Peter Brötzmann, I’m sure you’ll get a lot of pleasure out of listening to Eye Of I, as do I.

Rating: A-

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