Visual arts series for jazz virtuoso James Brandon Lewis for his 2026 tour with the James Brandon Lewis Quartet.

James Brandon Lewis is an American tenor saxophonist, composer and bandleader from Buffalo, New York, widely regarded as one of the leading voices in contemporary jazz and improvised music. Raised in the church as the son of a Baptist minister, Lewis grew up around gospel while developing an early interest in jazz. He studied at Howard University before completing an MFA at the California Institute of the Arts in 2010, where his teachers included Charlie Haden and Wadada Leo Smith.

Since moving to New York in 2012, Lewis has developed a highly individual approach to the tenor saxophone, drawing from jazz, gospel, blues, free improvisation, funk and experimental music. He has worked with musicians including William Parker, Marc Ribot and The Messthetics, while leading several of his own ensembles. His acclaimed Jesup Wagon (2021), inspired by the life and work of George Washington Carver, was followed by records including Eye of I (2023), Apple Cores (2025) and Omni (2026), the sixth recording by his quartet with Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones and Chad Taylor.

Lewis was named Artist of the Year in the 2025 DownBeat Critics Poll and Tenor Saxophonist of the Year in 2026. In 2026, he also received a Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition, recognising a body of work that continues to connect composition, improvisation and his developing concept of Molecular Systematic Music.