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Lew Tabackin

Lew Tabackin flutist and tenor saxophonist, is an artist of astonishing vision. His electrifying flute playing is at once virtuosic, primordial, cross-cultural, and passionate. His distinctive tenor sax style includes the use of wide intervals, abrupt changes of mood and tempo, and purposeful fervor, all in the service of showing the full range of possibilities of his instrument - melodically, rhythmically, and dynamically. Without copying or emulating jazz greats of the past, Lew Tabackin has absorbed elements into his style, ultimately creating his own sound and aura.

His interest in music began in his birthplace, Philadelphia, where he first studied flute and then tenor saxophone in high school. He majored in flute at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music (B.M. 1962) and studied privately with composer Vincent Persichetti. After his U.S. Army service (1962-65), Mr. Tabackin moved to New Jersey and then to New York, where he played first with Tal Farlow and Don Friedman and later in the big bands led by Cab Calloway, Les and Larry Elgart, Maynard Ferguson, Joe Henderson, Chuck Israels, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Clark Terry, and Duke Pearson.

During the late 1960's, Tabackin led a trio at a club called La Boheme in Philadelphia, in addition to playing in smaller groups with Donald Byrd, Roland Hanna, Elvin Jones, and Attila Zoller. In those early years he worked with Doc Severinsen and the studio band for Dick Cavett's television show. He also spent some time in Europe, where he was a soloist with various orchestras, including the Danish Radio Orchestra and the Hamburg Jazz Workshop.

In 1968 he met Toshiko Akiyoshi when the two played together in a quartet. They eventually married and moved to Los Angeles, where they formed the award-winning big band known as the Toshiko Akiyoshi Jazz Orchestra. While in Los Angeles, Mr. Tabackin also played with Shelley Manne and with various trios of his own with Billy Higgins, John Heard, and Charlie Haden. He also toured Japan frequently with Ms. Akiyoshi and her orchestra as well as with his own trio, which included drummer Joey Baron and bassist Michael Moore.

During the 1980's he began to get some long overdue recognition as a flutist, winning many Down Beat critic's and reader's polls. In 1982 Mr. Tabackin and Ms. Akiyoshi moved to New York, which brought him back to the Manhattan jazz scene. Since then he has solidified his position as a major tenor saxophone and flute artist, both in live concerts and on recordings.

Lew Tabackin: On Becoming and Barolo

by Kristen Lee Sergeant
September 26, 2022

"You looking for Lew?" a waiter standing outside Gennaro, a homey Italian restaurant on the Upper West Side, asks as I scan the outdoor dining area for a sign of my interview subject for the evening. “He's inside." They definitely know him here. Ushered into the dining room, the staff graciously points me towards a table in the back, where Lew Tabackin, comfortably ensconced at a corner table with a promising bottle from his cellar, is ready for ...

Interview

Lew Tabackin: A Life in Jazz

by Rob Rosenblum
April 6, 2017

Tenor saxophonist and flutist Lew Tabackin is known as a forceful and dynamic soloist, both in small group and big band settings. His views of the jazz music scene, both past and present, are equally compelling. Recently, I had the opportunity to spend several hours with Mr. Tabackin for this interview. Rather than insert myself into the conversation, I just let the tape roll, threw in a few topics and let the master jazz man expound on them ...

Album Review

Lew Tabackin Trio: Soundscapes

Read "Soundscapes" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 4, 2016

There's no substitute for experiencing jazz live. There are, however, some recordings that manage to do a damn good job coming close. This happens to be one of them. Noted jazz photographer Jimmy Katz, who's quickly developed a strong reputation as a recording engineer and producer who seeks to capture jazz in its true and unaltered forms, was the impetus behind the creation of this album. He sold saxophonist-flutist Lew Tabackin on the idea, set up a ...

Live Review

Paris Jazz Diary 2015: Saxophonists Lew Tabackin, James Carter, Craig Handy

by Patricia Myers
July 24, 2015

Lew Tabackin, James Carter, Craig Handy Sunside-Sunset/Duc des Lombards Paris, France July 8, July 11, July 12, 2015 Getting great sax in Paris was a sure thing this summer with three American tenor titans Lew Tabackin, James Carter and Craig Handy performing within three soul-satisfying weeks. In the fewest words: Tabackin elegantly memorable, Carter riotously powerful, Handy balladeer extraordinaire. Much better, though, to cite details of the concerts and the contrasting styles on the same ...

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Album Review

Lew Tabackin: Jazz na Hrade

Read "Jazz na Hrade" reviewed by Ken Dryden

by Ken Dryden
June 6, 2010

Lew Tabackin began to make his mark in the '60s, touring or recording with Maynard Ferguson, the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Duke Pearson, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones, Donald Byrd and The Tonight Show Band. From 1968-69, he was a main soloist with the Danish Radio Orchestra. He helped his wife, Toshiko Akiyoshi, to form her long-running jazz orchestra not long after they moved to California, taking part as its star soloist during its three decades of existence, though the veteran ...

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Interview

Lew Tabackin

by Ken Dryden
March 14, 2010

Lew Tabackin needs no introduction to serious jazz fans. The tenor saxophonist and flutist worked with Maynard Ferguson, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Joe Henderson, Duke Pearson, Donald Byrd, Elvin Jones and The Tonight Show Band; was a star soloist with the Danish Radio Orchestra in the late '60s; and joined alto saxophonist Phil Woods for a one-shot small group album. But Tabackin made his mark in the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Jazz Orchestra for several decades until it disbanded in 2003. ...

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Album Review

Lew Tabackin: Tanuki's Night Out

Read "Tanuki's Night Out" reviewed by Ken Dryden

by Ken Dryden
July 17, 2006

Lew Tabackin is in terrific form throughout this November 2001 trio concert from Studio F in Kasahara in the Gifu Prefecture of Japan, a recurring fall concert for the saxophonist/flutist since 1996. Joined by bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Mark Taylor, Tabackin begins on flute with a decidedly Far Eastern approach to John Coltrane's “Wise One. Tabackin's loping “Desert Lady has more of a Middle Eastern sound, suggesting a lonely walk and his haunting, unaccompanied two-minute cadenza ...

Video / DVD

Lew Tabackin: My 15 Favorite Tracks

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 9, 2025

The best way to appreciate Lew Tabackin is through a cross-section of his work over the years. Lew will be making a rare live appearance on New York's Upper East Side at 92NY on Saturday, July 19, at 7:30 p.m. You can attend in-person at the cultural institution (starting at $40 per seat) or purchase an online ticket (starting at $20) and stream from anywhere in the world. His appearance is part of 92NY's annual Jazz in July Festival. The ...
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Interview

Interview: Lew Tabackin, Part 2

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 8, 2025

On the tenor saxophone, Lew Tabackin has a strong, bossy sound. Other major saxophonists who came up at the same time include Joe Henderson and Joe Farrell. On flute, Lew has a warm, pronounced tone. Lew will be making a rare live appearance on New York's Upper East Side at 92NY on Saturday, July 19, at 7:30 p.m. You can attend in-person at the cultural institution (starting at $40 per seat) or purchase an online ticket (starting at $20) and ...
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Interview

Interview: Lew Tabackin, Part 1

Source: JazzWax by Marc Myers
July 7, 2025

Lew Tabackin is a jazz legend but less well-known than he should be. A tenor saxophonist and flutist, Lew came up in the mid-1960s and played and recorded with dozens of jazz stars, including Maynard Ferguson, Duke Pearson, Donald Byrd, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, and most famously with pianist Toshiko Akyoshi. They began fronting small groups before forming their celebrated big band in 1973. More recently, Lew has fronted a trio and toured extensively abroad. Lew will be making a ...
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Event

Lew Tabackin; Jammin' On The Hudson

Source: Brownstone Entertainment Complex, LLC
June 29, 2011

Riverbank State Park, in association with Brownstone Entertainment Complex, LLC, for our seventh consecutive year are pleased to present: “Jammin' On The Hudson." 'Jammin'; The Summer Concert Series for the 'serious' Jazz Lover! The series features 'World-Class' Players, appearing one Sunday in July and one in August. What could be more inviting than listening to the sounds of great Jazz Artists, cast out over The Hudson River, at sunset, for Free?! On Sunday July 10th we open our Series with ...
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Performance / Tour

Gigging: Lew Tabackin at Smalls

Source: Inverted Garden by Eric Benson
May 4, 2010

Nothing in Ken Burns's much-maligned, decade-old Official History of Jazz caused as much umbrage as Branford Marsalis's remark that in the 70s “jazz just kind of died; it just kind of went away for a while." As Nate Chinen chronicled several years ago in the Times, the 70s have been lovingly, exhaustively chronicled in the jazz blogosphere, with the indispensable Destination: OUT leading the way. This historical revisionism has been sorely needed—jazz didn't die during the '70s, but a whole ...
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Recording

Pianist Jimmy Amadie Features Three Saxophone Giants, Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, and Lew Tabackin, on "Kindred Spirits"

Source: DL Media
April 8, 2010

ON MAY 11, PIANIST JIMMY AMADIE WILL RELEASE HIS 7TH CD, KINDRED SPIRITS ON TP RECORDINGS, FEATURING SAXOPHONISTS LEE KONITZ, JOE LOVANO AND LEW TABACKINVeteran pianist Jimmy Amadie adds another chapter to his remarkable life story with Kindred Spirits, featuring an all-star lineup on a tailor-made selection of blazing swing and tender ballads. Each track features a collaboration with one of three saxophone giants: Lee Konitz, Joe Lovano, and Lew Tabackin. As always, Amadie calls ...
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Recording

Lew Tabackin - Rites of Pan

Source: All About Jazz
July 8, 2009

Available for the first time on CD, Inner City Records is proud to announce the re-release of Lew Tabackin's 1977 album Rites of Pan.

This album showcases Lew in a small group format, and is the first album on which he played exclusively flute. He is joined by Toshiko Akiyoshi on piano, who wrote two of the tunes they play, Shelly Manne on drums, and John Heard & Bob Daugherty on bass. Together they take on some standards like Weill's ...
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Technology

New Jazz It Up! Episode: Christian McBride, Nicholas Payton, Mark Whitfield and the Lew Tabackin Trio Plus the 2009 NEA Jazz Masters Ceremony with George Benson Performance

Source: All About Jazz
February 6, 2009

New York, NY - The very latest episode of the online jazz TV show, Jazz it Up!, is available now for your viewing pleasure. To subscribe and see a five-minute preview of the new episode. This edition of Jazz it Up! features two trios, both swinging hard: Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride and Mark Whitfield are seen in performance at the Jazz Standard in New York City for their first collaboration together in over a decade; and tenor saxophonist Lew Tabackin ...
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Recording

Mosaic Select: Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin Big Band

Source: All About Jazz
October 25, 2008

One Of The Most Exciting & Original Big Bands In Jazz “Greatness is greatness, whether on the East Coast, the West Coast, in Tokyo, or anywhere else in the world. I think you will find it in this magnificently variegated, consistently exciting example of one of outstanding jazz orchestras of our time." --Leonard Feather, original liner notes In 1965, pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi returned to New York after three years in Japan. Soon thereafter, she formed an alliance with saxophonist Lew ...
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Recording