Abstraction Is Deliverance

Abstraction Is Deliverance is the fifth album by the James Brandon Lewis Quartet. Like its predecessors, it was recorded and mixed by engineer Michael Brandli at Hardstudios in Winterthur, Switzerland. The lineup -- drummer Chad Taylor, bassist Brad Jones, and pianist Aruan Ortiz -- have been working with Lewis since 2017. The album contains eight Lewis originals and a cover of "Left Alone" by Mal Waldron and Billie Holiday. While no one can deny the improvisational power of this group live and on tape, Abstraction Is Deliverance differs stylistically from the quartets earlier recordings: It reflects Lewis balladic sensibilities. His compositional language on this date is inspired by various jazz styles from modal and spiritual jazz to Latin jazz and post-bop. The ghosts of John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and David S. Ware are all evoked here, but the tunes reflect the composers aesthetic. Set opener "Ware" is a nine-minute tribute to the late saxophonist, whose spiritual approach to free jazz and standards deeply inspired Lewis. Its opening moments eerily recall Coltranes "Part I – Acknowledgement," from A Love Supreme, in the opening section as an invocation. Jones arco bass and Taylors whispered cymbal washes frame Ortizs piano in glorious avant-swing and illustrative harmony. Ortizs initial progression in the second section recalls the intro to Joe Jacksons "Steppin Out." Lewis tenor solo expresses the mode with intuition and authority, without sacrificing his lyric elegance. "Per 7" offers a nearly symbiotic connection between the ensembles members as Lewis guides the band with low-and-slow rubato blues underscored by piano fills. One can hear Alice Coltranes mantric modalism on "Even the Sparrow." A spiritual, it relies on a muted yet hypnotic tom-tom rhythm that underscores the pianists changes, as bassist and saxophonist carry the lilting lyric. One can hear Sonny Rollins lyricism in the saxophone solo, but the interplay among the rhythm section creates a flow capable of support and intuitive guidance. The title track is composed of an interlocking classical piano and tenor theme that is recycled every 20 beats. It expands viscerally, moving outside as bassist and pianist urge him on. "Mr. Crick" is a playful, noirish blues that also echoes Rollins in its phrasing and turnarounds before becoming a midtempo, swinging post-bop finger-popper. On the wonderfully sensitive "Left Alone," Lewis makes his tenor horn a vocalist. Ortiz adds deep color and expressionistic drama with impactful harmonic phrasing as Jones bows the bass with brooding intensity and Taylors ritualistic tom-toms and cymbals frame this hymn-like love song. On closer "Polaris" Ortiz is the star. His wildly expansive chords and accents stand sturdily behind Lewis before he delivers an emotionally intense, intellectually stimulating solo atop Taylors calypso-kissed drumming; it increases in volume and texture to reach a creative climax. Abstraction Is Deliverance is as fine a jazz record as youre likely to hear in 2025. That said, this bands increasing maturity allows for a near-symbiotic, spiritually stimulating, and emotionally resonant performance. ~ Thom Jurek