Founded in New York in 2014 by saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and poet, photographer, and educator Thomas Sayers Ellis, Heroes Are Gang Leaders was formed as a tribute to poet, jazz critic and activist Amiri Baraka, who passed away on January 9 of that year. The group is an avant-garde/experimental jazz collective comprised of writers, musicians, and artists dedicated to redefining the concept of music/sound and its relationship to instrument and literary text. Alongside Thomas Sayers Ellis and James Brandon Lewis, other members of Heroes Are Gang Leaders include poet/author Randall Horton, actress/singer Nettie Chickering, pianist Alexis Marcelo, saxophonist Devin Brahja Waldman, musician Luke Stewart, singer/songwriter Arin Maya Lawrence, guitarist Brandon Moses, composer/violist Melanie Dyer, drummer Tcheser Holmes, and poet Bonita Lee Penn. Heroes Are Gang Leaders has also featured plenty of guest artists including Miriam Parker and Patrick Holmes. Their critically acclaimed releases include The Avant-Age Garde I Ams of the Gal Luxury (2017) and Artificial Happiness Button (2020).
