James Brandon Lewis Apple Cores
Released Feb 7, 2025 Anti/Epitaph
Consensus forming 3 professional reviews Updated Oct 15, 2026
Broadly positive consensus
Consensus is still forming across 3 professional reviews. James Brandon Lewis's Apple Cores makes a compelling case for jazz as a living conversation, balancing reverence for tradition with exploratory improvisation.
How ChoruScore worksCritics' Top Tracks
The songs critics returned to most
Prince Eugene
1 critic mention
Five Spots to Caravan
1 critic mention
Of Mind and Feeling
1 critic mention
“Of Mind and Feeling” takes balladry to its most pensive, sensitive levels in an airy Coltrane-like way.” — Glide Magazine
Full critic consensus
James Brandon Lewis's Apple Cores makes a compelling case for jazz as a living conversation, balancing reverence for tradition with exploratory improvisation. The album earned an 80/100 consensus score across three professional reviews, signaling a warmly received set that pairs Lewis's trademark intensity with more delicate, reflective passages. Its strongest moments move freely between those poles, finding fresh possibilities in avant-garde jazz without losing sight of melody or feeling.
“Prince Eugene” is a notable highlight, combining a dub-reggae bassline with a soft, elongated ballad melody. On “Five Spots to Caravan,” Lewis draws on the boundary-pushing spirit associated with Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins, while “Of Mind and Feeling” leans into especially pensive balladry. The contrast with “Broken Shadows,” where Lewis returns to a ferocious attack, underscores the record's range. A tribute to Don Cherry and an embrace of both inheritance and invention shape the album's musical outlook: familiar jazz language becomes a starting point for new turns rather than a fixed template. For anyone weighing whether Apple Cores is worth hearing, the critical consensus points to an engaging, carefully balanced performance, with its standout tracks offering distinct entrances into Lewis's imaginative approach.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Apple Cores #1
Prince Eugene
Five Spots to Caravan
Of Mind and Feeling
Apple Cores #2
Remember Brooklyn & Moki
Broken Shadows
D.C. Got Pocket
Apple Cores #3
Don't Forget Jayne
Exactly, Our Music
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What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 3 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
James Brandon Lewis’s Apple Cores honors tradition while making room for the new, its best tracks moving between the energetic and the delicate. “Prince Eugene” is a gorgeous track, with a dub-reggae bassline and a ballad melody in softer, elongated tones, while “Five Spots to Caravan” embraces the groundbreaking avant-garde approach of Ornette Coleman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Billy Higgins. “Of Mind and Feeling” takes balladry to its most pensive, sensitive levels; “Broken Shadows,” by contrast, has Lewis in his trademark, ferocious attack mode. Just when we think we’ve heard all that Lewis has to offer, he astutely balances tradition with the new, mixing his patented approach with some new twists.
Key Points
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“Prince Eugene” stands out for its gorgeous ballad melody, softened by elongated tones and set against a dub-reggae bassline.
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The album’s core strength is its balance of avant-garde tradition, improvisation, and new twists, from energetic attacks to delicate balladry.