Marc Ribot Quartet / Red Lily Quintet

• Jazz, Blues, Swing & Chanson

The Marc Ribot Trio celebrated a premiere in a new line-up at the famous NYC Winter Jazzfest in 2024 – now they come with James Brandon Lewis on saxophone as support to Hamburg for the »Reflektor« Festival dedicated to Ribot. The musicians first played together in 2005 on the album »Spiritual Unity«, a homage to the legendary free jazz saxophonist Albert Ayler. Alongside Marc Ribot and drummer Chad Taylor as consistent members of the trio, at that time Henry Grimes still played on bass. He worked with Cecil Tayler, Don Cherry and Albert Ayler, amongst others, in the 1960s. In the current line-up, Hilliard Greene replaces Henry Grimes, who passed away in 2020, on double bass. With James Brandon Lewis, whose Gospel-influenced sound on tenor saxophone seamlessly blends into the eruptive sound of the band, the trio becomes a quartet.

James Brandon Lewis, as bandleader of the Red Lily Quartet, also takes centre stage in the second set of the evening. The programme »For Mahalia, with Love« is a tribute to the Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson, who made famous traditional songs, such as »Swing Low«, »Sparrow« and »Wade in the Water«. Lewis has a personal, emotional connection to the work of Mahalia Jackson: his grandmother had introduced the music to him when he was just a child. So, he also describes his arrangements as a »Three-way conversation between Mahalia, my grandmother and me.«

PERFORMERS

Marc Ribot Quartet »Hurry Red Telephone« jazz ensemble

Marc Ribot guitar

James Brandon Lewis saxophone

Hilliard Greene bass

Chad Taylor drums

Red Lily Quintet jazz ensemble

James Brandon Lewis saxophone

Kirk Knuffke trumpet

Tomeka Reid violoncello

Silvia Bolognesi bass

Lily Glick Finnegan drums

PROGRAM

Set 1: Marc Ribot Quartet

- Interval -

Set 2: Red Lily Quintet »For Mahalia, with Love«