James, you initially sat in with the band at the Winter Jazz Fest here in New York, and that led to you featuring them on "Fear Not" from your ANTI- records debut Eye of I.
JBL: We recorded that with Shahzad Ismaily [Tape Op #151] at his Figure 8 Studio in Brooklyn. I've known Anthony for a decade now, and we've collaborated with William Hooker and various ensembles. That was my entry to meeting Brendan and Joe, which led to us playing together at Winter Jazz 2019. So, I've some skin in the game. [laughs] ANTI- had asked me if I was interested in doing a song with anyone, and I thought about these cats. I love the energy that Joe and Brendan play with, and Anthony and I have developed such a rapport. Our sounds just fit with each other. I'm old school; if the bassist and drummer get along, it's about to be a good band!
The new album features so many cool unison "heads" between the sax and guitar. Were those worked out ahead of time with you and Anthony in New York?
JBL: We all got together and had ideas for the record. I'm from Buffalo but I went to Howard University, and a lot of my family relocated to the DC area. It was all worked out collectively, in a really beautiful way. I haven't been in too many situations where it came together so naturally.
Where in DC were you working on the new material?
