“Be Water, My Friend” Album Review

Be Water, My Friend is the 3rd studio album from Pacific Northwest saxophonist BrandonLee Cierley. The album features ten original compositions inspired by the philosophy of Bruce Lee. Recorded in a pair of sessions with two separate bands of Portland-based musicians, the record has two distinct vibes. The first, a smooth as silk acoustic set. The second, a fiery electric set with a groove that grabs ahold of you and won’t let go.

“Tetsuo's Rising” is the perfect track to kick off the album. It starts off with a chill vibes and a warm saxophone tone, building up to a killer drum solo, followed by the most soothing track on the album, “Naia's Song” which features vocalist Jimmie Herrod.

From the very first notes off the album, it stays true to it’s inspiration. “Spirit Gun!” continues the theme, as the notes seem to just flow — like water — out of Cierley’s saxophone with little to no resistance. The title track is no exception either, which features one of BrandonLee’s saxophone mentors Todd Delgiudice, as well as multi-instrumentalist Machado Mijiga, briefly trading in his drumkit for an electric sax.

“YinYang” is an ethereal solo piece that serves as the transition between the albums two halves and leads into the incredibly funky Dragonball-Z inspired track “Nimbus”

My first time listening through the album, I immediately recognized the track “Harper & Cora” featuring another Portland saxophonist, Sam Epstein, from this year’s Cathedral Park Jazz Festival.

As the album nears the end, the tracks “Reflect On...” and “Your Loss” convey a level of emotion and intensity, but always staying smooth and accentuating the role that Lee’s “Be Water” philosophy plays in Cierley’s playing. The album concludes with an electric reprise of an earlier track with the Roy Hargrove-influenced “Spirit Gun! (Reprise).”

Alex Lester (Chaotic Good Jazz) 2025.