For many years now, saxophonist James Brandon Lewis has impressed in piano-less trios, and here he maintains high standards in a piano-full quartet. The man at the keyboard is the very talented Cuban Aruan Oritz, and he proves to be an essential component of the group insofar as the wiry counterpoint that he and the leader weave around each other is spellbinding on occasion. Having said that this is a strikingly articulate, interactive ensemble in which drummer Chad Taylor and bassist Brad Jones are doing more than hold down the central rhythm of the material, which veers from the fluid riffing that is part of the broad vocabulary of the avant-garde to the hard metronomic thrust associated with hip-hop.

There are off-and-around the beat commentaries aplenty, with Taylor's very focused, at times economic use of cymbals contributing to the prevailing austere, ashen beauty of the material. Lewis is a compellingly brooding presence throughout, particularly on low tempo numbers such as ‘Breaking Code’ in which his potent crescendos and deep laments make for a very moving performance. The sax-led quartet has an illustrious history for any new incumbents to live up to but the JBLQ has staked a claim to be an important contemporary keeper of the flame.