Abstraction Is Deliverance (2025)

"John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and David S. Ware cast long shadows over this fifth release from the James Brandon Lewis Quartet. These tenor saxophone titans have influenced Lewis since his breakout major-label debut "Divine Travels" (2014). Yet while their legacy is acknowledged, it never overshadows the bold, present-tense expression of Lewis's own voice. He does not merely walk in their footsteps—he charts new terrain using the foundation they helped lay. "Mr. Crick" finds Lewis at his most Rollins-esque—not in imitation, but in approach. Its melodic construction and rhythmic elasticity echo the sound and spirit of a long-lost 1960s jazz classic, though its execution is unmistakably contemporary. With "Abstraction Is Deliverance", James Brandon Lewis honors his musical ancestry not through mimicry but through mastery. His quartet does not replicate the past—it radiates from it, illuminating new directions with conviction, intellect and soul." (All About Jazz)