Tenor titan and Downbeat Jazz Artist of the Year James Brandon Lewis joins New Orleans all star musicians for a night of creative music. All Ages welcome!
James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone
Jonathan Freilich: guitar
James Singleton: bass
Doug Garrison: drums
Valid Records Presents: Tenor titan and composer James Brandon Lewis returns to New Orleans in the company of an all star lineup. We are deeply honored to host him in our humble burg fresh off an appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival and a first time headlining at New York’s career defining venue the Village Vanguard and as a repeat winner of Downbeat Magazine’s Jazz Artist of the Year, tenor player of the year, and composer of the year. Of course all the accolades are nice, but the real meaning is found in the expressiveness and soulfulness of his music—made apparent in all the varied contexts he places himself in.
Composer and guitarist Jonathan Freilich has been a stalwart of the creative music community in New Orleans for over 30 years. He is a founding member of the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, 007, Mas Mamones and leader of the Naked Orchestra and Naked on the Floor. He is also a committed chronicler of the scene, music and yoga teacher, and ad hoc theorist.
The still youthful composer and bassist James Singleton has been the leading modernist musician in New Orleans for almost 50 years! His long running associations include Astral Project, NOLATet, Stanton Moore Trio, and his own creative Malabar project. James has performed and/or recorded with such New Orleans legend as James Booker, Irma Thomas, Earl Turbinton, James Rivers, Johnny Adams, etc.; international jazz artists Joe Henderson, Dave Liebman, Lee Konitz, and many others; and with innumerable local musicians including the Rob Wagner Trio and Jonathan Freilich’s Naked on the Floor.
Doug Garrison has been living and performing music in New Orleans since 1993 as drummer of the roots rock band The Iguanas, and working with many other bands playing country, rock, traditional jazz, modern jazz, free improvised music, and klezmer. Prior to that he performed with rock icon Alex Chilton for roughly ten years, touring internationally, and recording five albums. He is frequently called upon for a variety of New Orleans studio gigs, and has contributed to many movie and television soundtracks, on and off-screen. As a free-lance drummer he has performed alongside such musical luminaries as Mose Allison, Milt Jackson, Anthony Braxton, and Gatemouth Brown. As a “first call” drummer in his native Memphis he recorded and toured with Rufus and Carla Thomas, Donald “Duck” Dunn, Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns, and country music legend Charlie Rich. He was also an integral part of the contemporary jazz scene in Memphis, working with piano genius Phineas Newborn, Jr. and many others.
