Described as “a sermon without words” in Kevin Le Gendre’s liner notes, Omni – the sixth album from tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis’s award-winning Quartet – pays tribute to the power of the church in Black lives. Hearkening back to Lewis’ powerful 2023 album From Mahalia, With Love, Omni – anchored as always by pianist Aruán Ortiz, bassist Brad Jones, and drummer Chad Taylor – flows like a river equal parts gospel music and postbop. “Testify,” for example, uses a bluesy riff to build a soulful foundation for Lewis’ shouts toward heaven, while “Call to Worship” conjures the vibe of a stentorian hymn given a new groove. “Line Upon Line” and “Fire in My Bones,” on the other hand, blaze outside the lines with joyful abandon, combining free playing with the Holy Spirit. The album reaches its apotheosis with “Spirit of the Living God,” a ten-and-a-half minute union of rumbling drums, spiraling bass, and joyously wandering sax and piano that range from ecstatic humming to speaking in tongues. Wrapped in a trilogy of short and medium-length tunes (“Omnipotent,” “Omniscient,” and “Omnipresent”) that support the album concept , Omni takes Lewis back to his roots, while continuing his journey straight into the future.
