James Brandon Lewis & Chad Taylor

Nameless Sound presents . . .

James Brandon Lewis & Chad Taylor

James Brandon Lewis (NYC) - tenor saxophone
Chad Taylor (Pittsburgh) - drums, percussion

Since 1967’s Interstellar Space by John Coltrane and Rashid Ali, the saxophone/drums duo has become a special instrumentation for some of jazz’s most ecstatic and freedom-minded explorers. Classic examples include recordings by Frank Lowe/Rashid Ali, Dewey Redman/Ed Blackwell, Evan Parker/Paul Lytton, and Peter Brötzmann/Hamid Drake. The tightness of rhythmic interplay intensifies. The rate of listening and reactions advance to the milliseconds. As that gap closes, a sense of telepathy can be clearly heard. With other instruments stripped away, an aural transparency is laid bare. The verticality of harmony is cleared, as is the underpinning of lower frequencies. The dynamic balance between power and sensitivity is opened up. The stakes are raised for this relationship between two voices. Upon releasing their first duo album in 2018, James Brandon Lewis and Chad Taylor officially stepped into that cannon. New York Times named “Radiant Imprints” as one of the best jazz albums of 2018.

One of the preeminent saxophonists of his generation, James Brandon Lewis was named “Rising Star Artist of the Year” and “Composer of the Year” by Downbeat Magazine in 2024. Building on the foundations of the masters, Lewis’ roots in gospel music remind us of a too-often forgotten truth. That free jazz, radical music foraged by the likes of Albert Ayler and Coltrane and others in the 1960’s, has deep roots in the ecstasies, the spiritual imperatives, and the melodic testimonials of the sacred African American music traditions.

Chad Taylor emerged in the late 90's from a Chicago scene that was in something of a renaissance, but also anchored by the presence of living masters of the music. Taylor is a consummate collaborator who has worked with a who’s who of the most important names at jazz’s experimental edge. This depth of experience, combined with a deep scholarship of the music’s history, is evidenced in Taylor’s mastery and flexibility. He is the ultimate modern drummer, assimilating the learnings of the past as an endless resource for the ever-unfolding music of the moment and the future.

On this duo album, James Brandon Lewis honors John Coltrane by isolating parts of his compositions, diving into the source material with strident, ennobled conviction. Whether charging on the drum set or playing the hypnotic mbira, Chad Taylor knows where to find Mr. Lewis at his best. - New York Times, Best Jazz of 2018

There is a particular charge when tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and drummer Chad Taylor play together. Their 2018 duo release, Radiant Imprints, was a master class in Lewis’ impeccable, breathless form, rattling off endless melodic lines atop Taylor’s textural rhythms. - Downbeat

This concert is funded in part by the City of Houston Through Houston Arts Alliance

Pay what you can.Suggested donation is $10-$50. No one is turned away for lack of funds.