James Brandon Lewis Quartet Code of Being (2021)

The charismatic saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis is the musician of the moment in the broad field of contemporary jazz. With Code of Being, James Brandon Lewis now presents his second album. The debut CD Molecular, which Lewis recorded with his quartet in 2020 just a few months before Lockdown, was roundly acclaimed as one of the most exciting releases in 2020 (Intakt CD 350).

The charismatic saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis is the musician of the moment in the broad field of contemporary jazz. After the internationally acclaimed albums Molecular and Code of Being, he now presents a double CD of a memorable concert with his top-class quartet. The demanding but thoroughly melodic compositions of Molecular shine on this live album compared to the studio album in an unleashed form and with much desire to create and courage for open interplay. “The live recording shows not only the great joy of playing and pleasure in interplay and groove, but also the musical maturation process of four great musicians”, writes Florian Bissig in the liner notes about the concert immortalised on this double CD, and, “It was a celebration that made one’s ears perk up…James Brandon Lewis’ saxophone sound seemed to radiate a quivering liveliness and an expressive urgency rarely heard before. The four musicians, for all their precision and refinement of interplay, seemed to be playing as if it were the last time.”