James Brandon Lewis - These Are Soulful Days [RSD2026]

Tenor saxophonist-composer James Brandon Lewis (Downbeat Magazine's 2025 Artist of the Year & tenor saxophonist of the year) has been on seemingly boundless artistic ascent since even before his 2021 album Jesup Wagon (Tao Forms) broke through, sweeping the this stirring and potent work was composed by Lewis during his initial development of ideas for the second Red Lily Project: for Mahalia, With Love. That eternal & deeply evocative jazz homage to Mahalia Jackson likewise took the #1 spot in the esteemed Francis Davis Jazz Critics Poll in 2023. Furthermore, a pair of the themes brought to vibrant new life by Red Lily on for Mahalia.. are woven into ..soulful days, and it is a wonder to hear their resonance in such a thoroughly different context.  A powerful beauty true! These Are Soulful Days is Jame Brandon Lewis' first long-form composition for string quartet & tenor saxophone. Performed by Lewis & The Lutoslawski Quartet (Roksana Kwaśnikowska-1st violin; Marcin Markowicz-2nd violin; Artur Rozmysłowicz-viola; Maciej Młodawski-cello), it was commissioned by Poland's National Forum of Music for World Premiere at the Jazztopad Festival in Wrocław.  JBL writes: "These Are Soulful Days is built from, and inspired by, the fabric of a quilted history of african-American music from it's folk traditions of blues, spirituals and jazz. It embodies the sentiment of a joyful past, a determined present and a resilient future."  1 spot in all major us jazz critics polls. With a thorough devotion to craft, Lewis has moved from strength-to-strength since: touring widely in the US & Europe, and creating a series of distinct & acclaimed albums for the labels, Anti- (trio), Intakt (quartet), and TAO forms (Red Lily). Not to mention his work together with the Messthetics, who have lit stages nationwide since their 2024 album on Impulse.