Music Monday: James Brandon Lewis, Blue Mitchell, and Kenny Barron

It was another weekend of bookmaking (the kind that produces books rather than, you, gamblers) and another weekend in my study listening to music. 

I was especially excited this weekend to listen to the new dropped James Brandon Lewis Quartet album, Transfiguration, which sees the tenor sax player alongside Aruán Ortiz on Piano, Brad Jones on Bass, and Chad Taylor on Drums. It’s really quite good and reveals an ever more edgy side to the James Brandon Lewis’s playing and distinguishes it clearly from his sound with the Red Lily Quartet (or even the 2021 release from this quartet, Molecular). Maybe his ascent (in the vein of Coltrane’s Ascension) is what he means by “transfiguration.”

Check it out here:

I also decided that I need to recharge my hard bop batteries a bit and check out some early Blue Mitchell. I wonder a bit of the trumpet player is a bit underrated or so closely associated with his more soulful Blue Note dates that we forget his Riverside outings. This is a shame, because some of them are really quite memorable and good.

Blue Soul (1959) is a fantastic sextet date with an amazing band featuring Curtis Fuller on trombone, Jimmy Heath on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, Sam Jones on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. I can’t get enough Curtis Fuller, to be honest.

Blue’s Moods (1960) was recorded a year later without Fuller, Heath, and Philly Joe Jones. Roy Brooks (who we listened to last week is on drums). Brooks and Mitchell were playing with Horace Silver at the time, but this date features Wynton Kelly on piano. Blue Soul and Blue’s Moods are high quality, representative late 50s hard bop. 

Finally, Kenny Barron has received some well-deserved buzz lately owing to last year’s release of his fine solo album The Source seemingly situated to celebrate his 80th birthday. I’ve not had the chance to give it a solid listen, but something drew me to his 2014 album, The Art of Conversation, recorded as a duet with Dave Holland.

Hope this provides you with a bit of a soundtrack for your Presidents Day holiday!