Home » Jazz Musicians » Chris Lewis
Chris Lewis
Chris Lewis is a multi award winning saxophonist, composer, educator, and bandleader. Known for his bold artistic voice and dynamic leadership, Lewis simultaneously leads his own quartet while maintaining an active schedule as a sideman. He is highly sought after by masters of the music, as well as his contemporaries.
Lewis is a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and has performed with artists including Herbie Hancock, Michael Bublé, Eric Reed, Terell Stafford, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, contemporaries Julius Rodriguez and Sean Mason, and premier ensembles such as the Maria Schneider Orchestra, John Beasley’s MONK’estra, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, the Count Basie Orchestra, and The Gil Evans Project. At the age of 28, Lewis can be heard on over 30 recordings. He can be seen in television series like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Godfather of Harlem, and The Gilded Age, as well as a prominent feature in Levi’s Vintage Fall campaign.
A dedicated educator, Lewis teaches students of all ages. Offering his expertise in saxophone, improvisation, and ensemble performance, he continues to help shape the future of jazz both on and off the bandstand. He’s served as a guest artist, clinician, and adjudicator for a host of jazz festivals and competitions, and maintains a private studio of students worldwide.
Tags
Carlos Henriquez: Monk Con Clave
by Pierre Giroux
Carlos Henriquez has long understood that rhythm tells stories long before words arrive. On Monk Con Clave, he takes Thelonious Monk's angular brilliance and brings it back to the streets, dance halls, and other crowded spaces across New York's Afro-Caribbean neighbourhoods. The result is not merely a tribute album but a living dialogue between Monk's genius and Henriquez's Nuyorican identity. Leading his self-named big band, Henriquez has assembled a remarkable multigenerational ensemble featuring musicians from the Jazz at ...
Continue ReadingBen Wolfe: Any Time After Now
by Pierre Giroux
In this recording by bassist, composer and bandleader Ben Wolfe, titled Any Time After Now, there is a quiet assurance, with nothing straining for effect or feeling manufactured. Recorded in a single studio day alongside vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist Sullivan Fortner, tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis and drummer Aaron Kimmel, the album spans ten tracks of original Wolfe compositions and exhibits a natural cohesion that reflects musicians deeply attuned to one another. The opener, Any Time After Now," swings ...
Continue ReadingKieran Brown: Loving You
by C. Michael Bailey
Youthful, conservatoire-trained vocalist upstart Kieran Brown brags in the opening song from her debut recording, Loving You: I've got a song that longs to be played Raise up my flag, begin my parade Then watch the world over start comin' up clover That's how it's gonna be, watch me You're gonna hear, you're gonna hear from me. Jackie Ward originally sang André Previn and Dory Previn's, You're Gonna Hear From Me" in the ...
Continue ReadingCaelan Cardello: Chapter One
by Pierre Giroux
Caelan Cardello's debut release, Chapter One, marks the emergence of a pianist and composer with a clear sense of purpose. Supporting Cardello on this journey are bassist Jonathon Muir-Cotton, drummer Domo Branch, and guest tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis; they draw deeply from the well of jazz tradition while shaping a distinctly modern voice. Cardello's program combines eight originals with select pieces from Cole Porter, Harold Mabern, and Cedar Walton, establishing a strong foundation in both heritage and innovation. ...
Continue ReadingChris Oatts: Personalities
by Victor L. Schermer
Saxophonist Chris Oatts is a graduate of the jazz program at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance and the nephew of revered saxophonistand faculty member of Temple UniversityDick Oatts. This reviewer heard Chris Oatts at Chris' Jazz Café (similarity in the names purely coincidental) in September, 2021, with his quintet featuring one of his teachers and mentors, Terell Stafford, on trumpet. In that set, Oatts stayed within the bebop/hard bop traditions and showed exceptional sophistication, inventiveness, and resilience ...
Continue ReadingPhotos
Concerts
Music
Ready 'N Able
From: Zito's Jump!By Chris Lewis


