Jazz Articles about Lewis Nash

About Lewis Nash

Album Review

In the realm of jazz, the legacy of J.J. Johnson looms large and immutable, casting an indelible shadow over the trombone's narrative. It is with reverence and a touch of audacity that trombonist Nick Finzer undertakes the task of honoring this titan with his album Legacy a centennial celebration of JJ Johnson. Joined by a stellar ensemble featuring Renee Rosnes, who served as the pianist in Johnson's quintet from 1989 to 1997, bassist Rufus Reid and drummer Lewis Nash, Finzer ...

Liner Notes

Jordan VanHemert: Deep in the Soil

by C. Andrew Hovan
March 20, 2024

Born in Korea and raised in Michigan, Jordan VanHemert counts himself among those youngsters that got involved in his school music program by starting out on the alto saxophone. Also like many of his fellow saxophonists, VanHemert eventually moved away from the smaller horn to devote his full energies to the tenor sax, an instrument emblematic of the jazz heritage. “In my formative years, I was almost exclusively an alto saxophonist," VanHemert explained from his current home base in Oklahoma. ...

Album Review

Ray Gallon: Grand Company

Read "Grand Company" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
January 23, 2024

Score one for truth in advertising. New York City-based pianist Ray Gallon is definitely in Grand Company on his first recording as the leader of a trio, ably chaperoned every step of the way by bassist Ron Carter and drummer Lewis Nash who are quite simply two of the best in the business (Hall of Fame caliber), and have been at the top of their game for many years. That is not to imply that Gallon merely ...

Album Review

Ray Gallon: Grand Company

Read "Grand Company" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
December 3, 2023

Ray Gallon is a pianist with a rich and complex musical vocabulary. In the company of bassist Ron Carter and percussionist Lewis Nash, he has recorded an album that is filled with technical proficiency and emotional depth as well as a unique artistic voice. Adding to the enjoyment is the sophistication of the recording, which was made at the Van Gelder Recording Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, under engineer Maureen Sickler. This nine-track session is ...

Album Review

Donald Vega: As I Travel

Read "As I Travel" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
November 7, 2023

Pianist Donald Vega's latest album As I Travel is a captivating musical memoir in which, through an intricate blend of melodies and harmonies, he weaves a heartfelt narrative which pays homage to the familial and communal influences that have shaped his artistic journey. Accompanying him on this excursion are drummer Lewis Nash, bassist John Patitucci and percussionist Luisito Quintero, each of whom brings impressive credentials with him. All nine compositions on this release were composed and ...

Album Review

Clark Gibson: Counterclock

Read "Counterclock" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
September 10, 2023

Saxophonist Clark Gibson's Counterclock demonstrates the synergy that can be generated by an outstanding group of performers, including trumpeter Sean Jones, trombonist Michael Dease, Hammond B-3 organist Pat Bianchi, vibraphonist Nick Mancini and drummer extraordinaire Lewis Nash. While pushing the boundaries, the set list, with one exception, is made up of original compositions by Gibson and Mancini. The opener, “Conflict," captures Gibson's emotive alto saxophone work as he is pushed along by Nash's drumming and Bianchi's ...

Album Review

George Freeman: The Good Life

Read "The Good Life" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
August 16, 2023

For guitarist George Freeman, The Good Life has also been a long life. He was a nimble-fingered ninety-five-year-old plectrist when this splendid album was recorded in May and June 2022, which makes it all the more grievous to know it would be organ maestro Joey DeFrancesco's last recording date; he died of a heart attack some three months later at the relatively young age of fifty-one. Freeman leads two trios here, the first with DeFrancesco on organ ...