The JAMES BRANDON LEWIS TRIO was established to do one thing: chase energy! Drawing on great trios of the past such as Air, JBL 3 is a power trio with a sax. Chris Hoffman on cello and Max Jaffe on drums, great leaders in their own right.

James Brandon Lewis (b.1983) is a critically- acclaimed composer, saxophonist, and writer. He has received accolades from NPR, ASCAP Foundation, Macdowell, and The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation. He has been described as “a saxophonist who embodies and transcends tradition” by The New York Times, and “a promising young talent having listened to the elders,'' by Jazz Legend Sonny Rollins. “The saxophonist has balanced a deep, gospel-informed spirituality with Free-Jazz abandon and hard-hitting funk-meets-hip-hop underpinning” - Rolling Stone Magazine.

Lewis created Molecular Systematic Music in 2011 under a different moniker, it describes a twofold approach to music, braiding together the fundamentals of music theory with the ideas of molecular biology in the context of DNA. While not a molecular biologist, the ideas he expresses deploy the vocabulary of molecular biology as useful metaphors, while exploring new possibilities and relationships across disciplines. He has released several critically-acclaimed albums, most recently highly touted Jesup Wagon and tours internationally leading several ensembles, and is also a member and co-founder of American Book Award winning Ensemble Heroes Are Gang Leaders. James was recently voted Rising Star Tenor Saxophonist by Downbeat magazine's 2020s International Critics poll. He attended Howard University and received his M.F.A from California Institute of the Arts.

DAVID WILLIAM ROSS is a guitarist with a wide range and unique approach. Trained in both classical and jazz guitar, Ross works regularly in both genres. An advocate of new music, he has worked closely with composers from around the world in creating new works for the guitar. His playing appears frequently on the Ravello and Navona labels and he is currently recording a second volume of work by Swiss composer Georges Raillard to be released in 2022. Ross’ original compositions draw deeply from the New York School of the 1950s-60s, particularly the work of Morton Feldman and Earle Brown, combining an exploratory aesthetic with the drive and visceral feeling of Post-Bop and modern jazz.

Doors are at 7pm, music starts at 8. Masks are required.