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Listening and responding, following and counteracting, creating in the moment: that’s what music improvisation is all about. SPACE ACADEMY is a series of masterclasses by world-renowned improv musicians and performers. In an afternoon talk and workshop they share their vision on music and improvising and make music with the participants. After dinner there will be a concert by the lecturer and a jam. Both the afternoon masterclass and the evening concerts are for musicians and non-playing visitors.We are very happy that James Brandon Lewis will be giving the masterclass on Wednesday May, 31. In the evening he will play with musicians from the Amsterdam scene: Pietro Elia Barcelona (bass) and Tristan Renfrow (drums)!
16:00-18:00 Masterclass, 19:00 Dinner, 20:30 Concert.
Masterclass € 20 / Dinner €10 / Concert €8-20
JAMES BRANDON LEWIS
James Brandon Lewis comes from Buffalo, New York. He is clearly an addition to the impressive list of tenor sax players who have left their mark on jazz history. His powerful, flexible style has been praised by respected predecessors such as Sonny Rollins and J.D. Allen. He can move effortlessly through a variety of styles, from hip-hop and gospel to raw funk jazz in the vein of Ornette Coleman’s prime time.
In his latest record Eye of I (released 3 feb 2023) JBL plays with an unconventional power trio: Tenor sax, electric cello, and drums. He swapped the aesthetic manifestos he’d attached to previous albums (see An Unruly Manifesto) for a simple punk-band-in-the-basement credo: Chasing energy. Above all else.
It’s a record alive with the messy contrasts of life in the United States circa 2022 – dissonant one minute and graceful/prayerful the next; animated by anger and contention as well as the possibility of resolution; holding equal space for expressions of steadfast faith and wild spontaneous skronkage.
Renowned guitarist Marc Ribot says the following about James Brandon Lewis: “His solos are like a jumbo jet. You need to give them plenty of runway space to take off and land. Because they’re huge [...] in terms of sound, chops, soul, ideas, energy, and originality.”
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
De Ruimte, Weesp, Netherlands