PAPATAMUS REDUX

INTAKT (RELEASED MAY 30, 2025)

It’s time for a “compare and contrast” essay, remember those? This time the topic is John Coltrane’s 1963 Ballads and James Brandon Lewis’ 2025 Abstraction is Deliverance. The similarities are uncanny. For starters, both recordings were the fifth session for each leader featuring quartets with which they had been working with for several years. By 1963, Coltrane, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones had established a musical rapport second to none. The same could be said for Lewis, pianist Aruan Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones and drummer Chad Taylor, who celebrate five years as a working quartet. with Abstraction is Deliverance. Then there is the mere sound of the leader — muscular, lyrical and expressive. Both players have a way of luring you into their musical journeys and enveloping you in their majestic sound. The major contrast between these recordings (one a classic and one destined to become a classic) is the repertoire, Whereas Coltrane chose eight standards from the Great American Songbook, Lewis wrote eight compelling ballads of various styles as well as performing Mal Waldron’s “Left Alone.” Although Lewis’ ballads may lack the familiarity of Coltrane’s selections, they are not lacking in emotional impact. You can sense that from the opening Coltrane-inspired vamp of “Ware,” a piece Lewis dedicates to saxophonist David Ware, through more hypnotic prayer-like ballads such as “Even the Sparrow,” “Per 7” and “Multicellular Beings.” The folk like quality of the title track is infectious, especially with its classical sounding rondo at the end. There is a sense of bebop in the Monkish sounding “Mr. Crick,” and a feel of chamber music in the delicate melody of “Polaris” which builds in intensity. The bowed bass of Jones and cascading notes of Oritz add a spiritual element to Waldron’s “Left Alone.” Throughout the nine tracks. Oritz, Jones and Taylor provide a cushion upon which Lewis can explore his ballads. At the same time, Lewis provides his bandmates with the freedom to express their own sense of majesty in their interactions and solos. So, in conclusion (because all “compare and contrast” essays have to end that way), like Coltrane’s Ballads, Lewis’ Abstraction is Deliverance is a must have for any serious jazz collection.

BOTTOM LINE:  Every so often, a record grabs my attention from the start and manages to hold my interest with every note, beat and mood. James Brandon Lewis’ Abstraction is Deliverance is one of them. Featuring eight beautifully written and majestically played ballads plus a moving version of Mal Waldron’s “Left Alone, “Abstraction is Deliverance confirms Lewis’ position as one of the top tenor players on the scene and his quartet as one of today’s best working groups.