James Brandon Lewis

James Brandon Lewis is a New York-based jazz saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His playing combines the emotional power of gospel with the grit and groove of blues and R&B. He issued two acclaimed outings for Okeh in 2014's Divine Travels and 2015's Days of Freeman. Radiant Imprints, a duo outing with drummer Chad Taylor, appeared in 2018, followed by An UnRuly Manifesto a year later. After being selected as the Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist in the Downbeat International Critics Poll, Lewis and his Red Lily Quartet issued Jesup Wagon in 2021. In March 2023, he released Eye of I for Anti-. He re-teamed with Red Lily Quintet to record and release For Mahalia, With Love (a tribute to the iconic gospel singer Mahaila Jackson) in September. In 2024, Lewis released a collaborative album with the Washington, D.C.-based experimental rock trio the Messthetics.