Art of Solo: James Brandon Lewis, Nicole Mitchell, Janel Leppin, Jenna Camille, Kalia Vandever, Val Jeanty, Shara Lunon, and Alexis Marcelo
About the event
“The artists represented tonight I’ve admired for a long time. I’ve dreamed of a bill just focusing on their solo work and it’s finally happening. Playing solo is no easy feat: There’s nothing to fall back on, and it’s the most intimate musical experience — direct communication with the audience.” — James Brandon Lewis
Award-winning saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis, a Jazz Generations Initiative (JGI) Continuum Fellow, presents Thru Line, a three-night residency at Roulette as part of his 2026 fellowship. The series brings together improvisers, poets, musicians, and multidisciplinary artists from across media and generations.
This evening’s performance will feature a series of solo sets by James Brandon Lewis, flutist/composer Nicole Mitchell, cellist/vocalist Janel Leppin, singer/producer Jenna Camille, trombonist/composer Kalia Vandever, Grammy-winning sound chemist Val Jeanty, transdisciplinary artist Shara Lunon, and pianist/composer Alexis Marcelo.
The night will conclude with a collective improvisation featuring all of the artists.
“A Saxophonist Who Embodies and Transcends Tradition” — The NY Times
“James Brandon Lewis does not take the easy road. Having forged a singular sound on the tenor saxophone, he could simply devise settings that showcase his brawny tone. Instead, he has rooted his recent music in extramusical research.” — DownBeat
Presented by the Jazz Generations Initiative in partnership with Roulette.
A livestream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing.
The JGI Continuum Fellowship convenes a cohort of New York-based early-to mid-career musicians and multidisciplinary artists to curate concerts and programs that foster creative exchange across artistic disciplines and generations.
Tenor saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis has emerged as a leading figure on the improvised music scene in New York City and across the world. The winner of seven DownBeat magazine awards (including “artist of the year” in the 2025 critics’ poll), and a 2026 Guggenheim Fellowship, Lewis has led ensembles on some of the most prominent stages across the world, from the Village Vanguard to the Bimhuis Muziekgebouw. He has received accolades from The New York Times, NPR Music and countless other outlets.The late Sonny Rollins once told Lewis, “When I listen to you, I listen to Buddha, I listen to Confucius… I listen to the deeper meaning of life. You are keeping the world in balance.” Lewis relocated to New York City in 2012, and since then he has become known as one of the leading figures on the scene, uniting his background in gospel and jazz with an interest in Western classical music, hip-hop, punk rock, other music traditions from around the globe, and art forms outside of music. His celebrated projects include the James Brandon Lewis Trio, the American Book Award-winning Heroes Are Gang Leaders, the Red Lily Quintet, and his ongoing collaboration with the Messthetics, which has yielded two critically acclaimed albums on Impulse! Records. Lewis, who recently earned a PhD in Creativity from Rowan University in New Jersey, also works across mediums as a writer and poet.
