Music Monday: Cecil McBee, Pharoah Sanders, and James Brandon Lewis
- Feb 10, 2025
- 1 min read
This last week has required abundant music as I darted and dodged my way through a veritable minefield of stressful meetings, departmental dinners, and other responsibilities. Music gave me a chance to recharge my batteries and helped power me through writing and grading in the interstices of my days.
For various reasons, I found myself listening to some Cecil McBee’s outings as a leader. In particular, I’ve enjoyed his large ensemble outing: Music from the Source (1977):
This nudged me to listen to some of his other albums where McBee has contributed such as Izipho Zam (1973, but recorded in 1969). I was excited to see that this relatively wild album was getting a digital release later this year. It features Pharoah Sanders’ as he develops the sound that would characterize his great 1970s albums.
The highlight of my week, though, was the new James Brandon Lewis album. I’ve really liked Lewis’s music over the last 5 or so years. He’s performed on some great albums that have become key parts of my rotation. For example, I love Jesup Wagon (2020) which you can hear performed live here:
His latest album is called Apple Cores and it features Lewis in trio with Chad Taylor on drums and Josh Werner on bass and guitar. Unlike Lewis’s other albums, which are universally good, Lewis’s playing rather than his composing or arranging is the centerpiece of Apple Cores. And he can play. This is the album that I somehow needed.
Oh, and also:
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