Jazz Poetry 2025: James Brandon Lewis Quintet & Huang Xiang

James Brandon Lewis is one of the most exciting jazz musicians of today and has headlined City of Asylum’s decades-in-the-making Jazz Poetry Festival for the past four years. Keeping with tradition, James returns to the Alphabet City stage on May 22nd to give audiences a preview of his next project: a suite of songs in tribute to American multi-instrumentalist, composer, and bandleader Eric Dolphy. Joining James are Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Chris Lightcap (bass), and Chad Taylor (drums). These talented musicians will perform with iconic poet Huang Xiang and ICORN residents as they share their poetry in a celebration of experimentation, collaboration, and connection between art forms and between artist and audience.