Jazz Articles about The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra

Zinfandel meets the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra

by Kristen Lee Sergeant
June 30, 2021

Spontaneity: Zinfandel Meets The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra

by Kristen Lee Sergeant
June 15, 2021

Welcome to June's Jazz & Juice! So if last month we took a deeper look at things that might be familiar and formal (in prose, video, and podcast,) in this one we'll be celebrating the pleasures you can't plan for. Spontaneity There's no mistaking music that's truly of and in the moment. Virtuosity, organization, and composition are all to be admired; however, spontaneity and improvisation are big parts of what sets jazz music apart from any other. Having ...

Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra: Consummation

by C. Andrew Hovan
June 25, 2002

When it came to progressive big bands during the '60s, few ensembles could boast the kind of staying power and muscle of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. With some of the biggest names in the business as part of the ensemble's regular roster and the uniformly exceptional output of writer Thad Jones, this band was successful at a time when economics were making it hard for even established organizations to stay afloat. Unfortunately, the great legacy of the Thad ...

Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra: Consummation

by Jack Bowers
June 1, 2002

This charming reissue from 1970 makes it even harder to accept the fact that Thad and Mel are no longer with us. Thank goodness we have such glorious music to remember them by. All of the compositions and arrangements are Jones,' and each one is an unpretentious classic of its kind. The orchestra itself is beyond reproach, with sharp and explosive brass and reeds complementing its unrivaled rhythm section (Lewis, pianist Roland Hanna, bassist Richard Davis). There's less ...