Lewis conjures Coltrane and his A Love Supreme here.Ī trio of compositions resulted from Lewis’ molecular systematic music concept. The tune is set in motion by a polyrhythmic bass-piano texture before fixating in a modal flux delivered at a medium 6/4 tempo. The innate spirituality that erupts from “ Archimedean” draws inspiration from the civil rights movement and the African-American artistic collective named Spiral (1963-1965). There are three dedications on the album: the intimate “ Every Atom Glows” is for painter Norman Lewis - a figure of the abstract expressionism who mainly focused on black urban life - and features Taylor’s classy manipulation of cymbals and toms as well as Jones’ thoughtful bass deliberations the slightly romanticized “ Where is Hela” is dedicated to Henrietta Lacks, the African-American woman associated to the first immortalized human cell line and the lyrical, sometimes prayerful “ Tessera” finds its ways to champion the abstraction of American painter/sculptor Jack Whitten. It all funnels into an enlightened finale. And then it’s Ortiz, who first seats a peculiar harmonic tapestry on top of the rhythmic foundation as he prepares for an individual statement with coiled figures. Lewis’ lines are passionate and rhythmically intense. “ Resonance” starts off as a splendid jazz waltz turned into a groove that wafts along in quintuple meter. Having penned all eight selections on this album, Lewis not only shines individually but also achieves a highly inviting group sound in the company of pianist Aruan Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Chad Taylor. On the heels of the incredible Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms, 2021), comes Code of Being, a quartet effort that largely plays by the same rules defined in Molecular (Intakt, 2020), as he continues to invigorate spiritual and conceptual sonic crusades in jazz. Despite the challenges we all know, this is definitely the year of James Brandon Lewis, who is ranked well up among the most creative saxophone players working today.
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