Apple Cores from James Brandon Lewis is one of my favorite jazz saxophone albums of the last few years. It hits with a natural, primal feeling – at times fully relaxing and others full-throttle stimulation.
The first and only time I’ve seen JBL live was at Newport Jazz Festival 2024 with The Messthetics and I found that set totally electrifying. So, when Apple Cores was released, I was keen to give a listen. The album definitely should be heard start-to-finish as it’s well organized and runs a course through a range of feelings.
It’s a trio album with James on sax, Chad Taylor on drums/mbira and Josh Werner on bass and guitar with some supplemental guitar and percussion on a handful of tracks. It’s clear that James is the driving force and makes a compelling case for him as one of the leading young jazz saxophonists of this era. Have a read and listen to my track-by-track coverage and I’m sure you’ll be hooked.
The album takes its name and intention from the column that poet and jazz theorist Amiri Baraka wrote for DownBeat in the 1960s. “I was first exposed to Amiri Baraka at Howard University [also Baraka’s alma mater],” says Lewis. “Blues People [Baraka’s groundbreaking 1963 study of Black American music], was required reading. I’m always in constant dialogue with his work.”
In addition to Baraka, the influence of another jazz giant looms mightily over Apple Cores: trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist, Don Cherry. In a testament to Cherry’s influence over the music that the trio is playing, Lewis designed each song title as a cryptogram of sorts, making subtle references to Cherry’s life and music.
“The record itself is a nod to Amiri but mainly a nod to Don Cherry, using Amiri as a branch to really get the conversation going,” Lewis explains. “It’s not a tribute in the sense that we’re playing Don Cherry compositions, but that the music is commenting on his musical curiosity.” It’s fitting that Lewis would explore Cherry’s music in this way, as he has paid tribute to him in the past. “This album also picks up the conversation where my 2015 album Days of FreeMan left off. I covered a Don Cherry piece “Bamako Love” from his 1985 album Home Boy (Sister Out). That album exposed me to Don’s risk-taking with his attempts to rap.”
Source: https://jblewis.com/about
Track-By-Track
Apple Cores #1 has the drums and bass laying the groove for JBL to enter and improvise a dramatic sax lead replete with rapid-fire notes and some squeaks and squawks, setting the tone for what’s to come.
Apple Cores opens with “Apple Cores #1”, a plucky, head-nodding jam that acts as a bridge where hip-hop, bebop, and the avant-garde meet. Werner and Taylor play in lockstep, setting up a foundation for Lewis’ soaring, piercing melody.
Prince Eugene is actually the first tune of the album that I heard and it hooked me immediately. The vibe sounding baseline feels like a rainforest setting. The gliding sax line is very calming. A bit of echo effect in the middle transports to another dimension. The closeout with just the vibes signals the end of the journey.
On “Prince Eugene,” a hazy ballad that combines a dub-reggae bassline and drums with a Zimbabwean mbira, Lewis’ saxophone sings and guides us through the tune’s heavy, minimal groove.
Five Spots to Caravan starts with a great drum groove quickly joined by some thumping bass. JBL’s high speed playing gives it a sense of urgency, perhaps a call to action. The two-note bass hammer at the end of each bar is super funky. I really love JBL’s movement up and down the register.
The nimble, pulsating “Five Spots to Caravan” is a multi-layered reference to Don Cherry’s creative arc and travels as a musician. It nods to New York’s famed Five Spot where Ornette Coleman made his New York City debut in the fall of 1959 alongside Cherry. Also joined by the drummer Billy Higgins and Charlie Haden on bass, this residency signaled the arrival of Coleman’s radical avant-garde experiments to jazz’s mainstream. The “caravan” in the song’s title is a reference to the Caravan of Dreams performing arts center in Coleman’s hometown, Fort Worth, Texas.
Of Mind and Feeling is lush and gorgeous. The first time I heard this one it put me into some deeply personal thoughts, a near-trancelike state. When I looked and saw the song title, it was like a revelation. It’s transformative every time through.
Apple Cores #2 is another round of JBL exploring with full rein and it demonstrates his clever movement up and down the scales. For me, it has a human voice characteristic explaining the overall situation with very unique phrasing.
Remember Brooklyn & Moki is an homage to Don Cherry’s album “Where’s Brooklyn?” and to his wife Moki, whose art appeared on the cover. The opening bassline and shakers yield to a flowing, luxuriant tenor sax lead. The surrounding percussion and effects provide a airy sensation up to the close.
Midway through the album, “Remember Brooklyn & Moki” conjures a dark, atmospheric tone as the band pays tribute to Don Cherry’s wife, the Swedish interdisciplinary artist, Moki Cherry, and one of Don’s most beloved albums, 1969’s Where Is Brooklyn?.
Broken Shadows’ brief has the most ‘mystical’ opening with a traditional feel. After a brief pause, it returns with pace and strength. The drums drive at breakneck speed before rolling back to the smooth ending.
D.C. Got Pocket is the funkiest song on the album with hypnotic bass and heavy ghost-note-laden drum line. The main theme is well thought out and drives into an eerie, ominous effect center point. Coming out the main head returns and JBL rides it out to the end.
Apple Cores #3 picks up with a David Garibaldi (Tower of Power)-stylized drum opening. It feels conversational, like JBL is talking with someone in a sing-song voice.
Don’t Forget Jayne is exemplary of JBL’s dexterous speed and ability to sustain for protracted periods. I love his squeaks interjected with the flowing melody for added excitement
Exactly, Our Music feels like some East African, Malian music. While there is no kora here, the guitar work gives it that touch. It’s a great vehicle for James, both for his playing and for the composition itself. The percussion and sax closeout enhances the ‘tribal’ feel.
James Brandon Lewis Trio
James Brandon Lewis: saxophone
Chad Taylor: drums, mbira
Josh Werner: bass, guitar
Guilherme Monteiro: guitar on tracks 4, 6, 8, and 11.
Stephane San Juan: percussion on tracks 4, 6, 8, and 11.
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