Details: 2023 release. James Brandon Lewis is a New York-based jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. His instrumental voice marries the emotional power of gospel and the grit and groove of blues and R&B to the modal and vanguard influences of Albert Ayler and John Coltrane, and Sonny Rollins' expressive melodic and tonal discipline. Lewis drew the attention of many improvising artists, most notably the saxophonist and jazz deity Sonny Rollins, who doesn't offer effusive praise very often. Moved by Lewis' deep, spirit-seeking sound, Rollins said "When I listen to you, I listen to Buddha, I listen to Confucius... I listen to the deeper meaning of life. You are keeping the world in balance."