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George Lewis: A Power Stronger Than Itself

By Lloyd N. Peterson Jr.
October 22, 2009
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Our society is driven by so many dislocations of race and class, different kinds of mobilities and ideologies, and in the end, that got into the composite community that the Art Ensemble and the AACM helped to bring into being. So when you saw people genuinely moved by the passing of Malachi, this great musician, you began to see that a lot of that stuff really didn't amount to all that much. It wasn't like a distraction, but something that had to be worked through to get to the point where you understood the nature of what had been lost. You know, to see Chuck Nessa in tears made me really think.

So in writing a book about the AACM, you began to see that you had to talk about everyone in the community who was a part of it. It wasn't just that there was one group of people in the community who did this great thing. It was more that this community—the people that wrote about it, the people that played it, the people who went to the concerts—they all produced it, and hopefully, they all got something out of it that was unique, and they all felt the loss at the passing of these members.

Roscoe once said in an article that, "Well, we made it possible for George Lewis and all these other people so that they didn't have to sleep on floors." Well, it's true (laughs). That was pretty obvious and you had to recognize that. And so basically, I look at that as being an incredible gift to myself and others and I don't know if I can ever pay them back. It's like your parents; there is no easy way. You just owe it.

Photo Credit

Page 3 & 5, Frank Rubolino

Page 4, Volume 12

All others, Giancarlo Belfiore for Umbria Jazz

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