Divine Travels

Lewis, James Brandon
Okeh
Jazz | Feb 2014

Reviews

Fo
Reviewed 2014-03-06
JAMES BRANDON LEWIS: Divine Travels
OKeh, 2014

FREE JAZZ – It’s rare to hear a free-jazz record on a major label, but saxophonist Lewis shows why he made the cut with this bluesy, fully accessible, yet artistically strong release. His sharply-etched tenor leads a top-notch trio with William Parker on bass and Gerald Cleaver on drums. Two tracks (4,9) add spoken word (all FCC clean).

Try any track! Fo’s Picks: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 (2,3)

1. 4:47 – calm meditation, mostly sax & bass with drums joining later
2. 7:05 – lopsided circular riffing and slight variations over edgy rhythm
3. 7:49 – a fractured stroll, sax phrases leave lots of room for the bass
4. 4:01 – mopey trio with silky-voiced poetry about the black church
5. 11:26 – blends two old spirituals: deep, powerful, with gathering energy & strong trio interplay
6. 7:42 – great drums envelop wandering sax, settles into a brisk drive
7. 7:02 – meandering trio picks up steam; earthy texture, excellent bass
8. 3:55 – steady rolling rhythmic groove, feels like a traveling song
9. 9:02 – oddly fragmented poem at start & end; trio percolates and shuffles
10. 4:29 – sinuous sax line and a sideways-slinking rhythm, opens up

[ Fo ] – 28 February 2014

Recent airplay

Divine
No Cover, No MinimumJul 27, 2017
Divine
Box of ChocolatesApr 21, 2014
The Preacher's Baptist Beat
Music CasseroleApr 19, 2014
Wading Child In The Motherless Water
RebopApr 17, 2014
Enclosed
RebopApr 10, 2014
No Wooden Nickels
Music CasseroleApr 05, 2014

Charting

2014-02-21 — 2014-04-25 Jazz
Week EndingAirplays
Apr 27 1
Apr 20 2
Apr 13 1
Apr 6 1
Mar 30 2
Mar 23 2
Mar 16 3
Mar 9 1

Track listing

1. Divine
2. Desensitized
3. Tradition
4. The Preacher's Baptist Beat
5. Wading Child In The Motherless Water
6. A Gathering Of Souls
7. Enclosed
8. No Wooden Nickels
9. Organized Minorities
10. Travels