Tenor Saxophone, Composer | b.1983

Born 13 August 1983 in Buffalo, New York, James Brandon Lewis is an American tenor saxophonist and composer described by The Guardian as "one of the fiercest sounds in jazz today".

Lewis has released over fifteen albums, working with his quartet featuring Aruán Ortiz, Brad Jones, and Chad Taylor, and leading the Red Lily Quintet. His 2021 Jesup Wagon, a dreamlike mosaic of gospel, folk-blues, and brass bands inspired by George Washington Carver, was DownBeat and JazzTimes Album of the Year. Eye of I (2023) was his ANTI- Records debut, followed by The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (2024) with experimental jazz punk trio. His latest album Apple Cores (2025) with Chad Taylor and Josh Werner was recorded as entirely improvised sessions, informed by hip-hop and funk rhythms whilst rooted in jazz, paying tribute to Don Cherry. He graduated with PhD in Creativity from Rowan University in 2025.