Jesup wagon

"Jesup Wagon is inspired and dedicated to the African-American inventor, scientist, and author George Washington Carver, a true renaissance man on par with Leonardo da Vinci. Lewis opens the disc with a tenor exploration that calls to mind Pharoah Sanders' explorations before the quintet sets upon a folkish groove with [Kirk] Knuffke's cornet dancing along the the saxophonist. This composition, like the remaining were all composed by Lewis and they all have a connection to an agrarian landscape and people. Yes this is jazz, but it also comes from beyond a metropolis. Take for instance "Chemurgy" (the use of agricultural raw material in industry) which conjures the music of Ornette Coleman with Don Cherry. Here the earthiness is supplied by [bassist William] Parker's gimbri. The track ends with Lewis' spoken poetry, which we also hear on "Fallen Flowers" ... Jesup Wagon should be in the running for album of the year honors".

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"Since childhood, George Washington Carver's combination of scientific and creative inquiries has been a template for the saxophonist's own multidisciplinary pursuits. Each of the album's seven pieces refers to an aspect of the dedicatee's legacy, which extended beyond the practical application of scientific, musical and painting skills to visionary proposals to transform society. But while the record's narrative presents a series of teaching points, the music is anything but pedantic. Lewis' vibrato-laden, solitary introduction to the title track sets the listener up for tragedy, only to have his band march jubilantly in, banishing his blues like a New Orleans parade".