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Mel Lewis
Born:
Lewis, best known for his small group approach to big band drumming, was one of the first drummers to vary the ride cymbal beat, giving the music a loose and swinging feel. His commanding presence never dominated the spotlight and always stressed the interplay between the band members. "How much you stick in depends on how much you can hear," Lewis explained, "and if you're really hearing, you'll put in only what's necessary." Mel Lewis was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents. His father was a drummer in the Buffalo area who inspired his son to follow in his footsteps from an early age. Still in his mid-teens, young Lewis played with nationally known jazz musicians Harold Austin and Lenny Lewis. Early credits also include stints with Bernie Burns (1946), Boyd Raeburn (1948), Alvino Rey (1948-9), Ray Anthony (1949-50, 1953-54), and Tex Beneke (1950-53). In 1954 he joined Stan Kenton's band, playing alongside such musicians as Jimmy Giuffre, Maynard Ferguson, Laurindo Almeida, Vido Musso, and vocalist June Christy. During his three-year tenure with Kenton, Lewis also worked and recorded with the Frank Rosolino quintet and the Hampton Hawes Trio. In 1957, Lewis settled in Los Angeles where he led a quintet with another ex-Kenton sideman, saxophonist Bill Holman. He worked with the big bands of Gerald Wilson and Terry Gibbs, recording with the latter between 1959-62. The early 1960's saw Lewis in New York with the Gerry Mulligan Concert Jazz Band, in Europe with Dizzy Gillespie, and in Russia with Benny Goodman. Lewis moved to New York in 1963 and formed a big band with trumpeter Thad Jones two years later. The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra performed and recorded extensively, garnering rave reviews and awards. Their performance on the album “Live in Munich” earned them a Grammy Award in 1979. The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, played some of the most progressive big band charts since the swing era. The band had its own unique style, along the lines of big band swing, bebop, and hardbop. The sound was powerful, fast, intellectual, and fun. After twelve productive years, Jones left for Europe and Lewis assumed sole leadership of the band. With the departure of Jones, the Kansas City-born trombonist / pianist / arranger Bob Brookmeyer assisted in the musical direction of the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. Lewis established a residency at the prestigious Village Vanguard in New York City which spanned over two decades. He performed there until one month prior to his death in 1990. Mel Lewis was the recipient of numerous awards, including fourteen Grammy nominations from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, with one win in '79. Lewis authored a drumming method book It's Time for the Big Band Drummer (Kendor Music Co., 1978) and taught workshops on jazz drumming at William Patterson State College in New Jersey.
Jack's Groove
By Jack Sheldon
Label: GNP Crescendo Records
Released: 1959
Track listing: Green Dolphin Street; I'm Also A Person;
I Had The Craziest Dream;
Arrividerci;
Brown Cow;
Anyhow;
Julie Is Her Name;
Aplomb;
Sunset Eyes;
J.S..
Sean Imboden: Communal Heart
by Dean Nardi
Sean Imboden's Large Ensemble Has a Communal Heart Sean Imboden was bitten by the big band bug early on. It is understandable. Both his parents were musicians, and his father taught him to play clarinet when he was in sixth grade. As a teenager, besides playing in middle school and high school bands, he sometimes sat ...
Meet Andy Bey
by Chris M. Slawecki
From the 1995-2003 archive: This article first appeared on All About Jazz in February 2000. Listening for the first time to Andy Bey is like stepping into a quiet, still lake. Your foot first parts a surface that's smooth and tranquil, but you can't really tell from that surface how deeply your foot must ...
The History of Jazz Drums: An Archival Treasure Rediscovered
by Hank Hehmsoth
In the vast landscape of jazz history, few archives offer the depth and insight found in The History of Jazz Drums--an extraordinary 8-part radio series recorded in 1989. Featuring compelling conversations between Mel Lewis (1929-1990), a master drummer whose swing propelled The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra and Loren Schoenberg, senior scholar at the National Jazz Museum ...
Terry Gibbs Dream Band: Dream Band, Vol. 7: The Lost Tapes, 1959
by Angelo Leonardi
«Non credo che ci sia mai stata una band migliore di questa, compresa la mia». Mel Lewis espresse queste parole per la mitica orchestra che il vibrafonista Terry Gibbs guidò in California tra il 1959 e il 1961 e fu chiamata “Dream Band" per l'entusiasmo che suscitò tra i fortunati che l'ascoltarono dal vivo.
Dream Band, Vol. 7: The Lost Tapes, 1959
By Terry Gibbs
Label: Whaling City Sound
Released: 2024
Track listing: Begin the Beguine; Back Bay Shuffle; It Might as Well Be Swing; My Reverie; After You'Ve Gone; I'M Getting Sentimental Over You; The Song Is You; Softly as in a Morning Sunrise; Moonglow; Don't Be That Way; Opus One; Prelude to a Kiss; Bright Eyes; Dancing in the Dark; Cottontail; Let's Dance; No Heat; Flying Home.
Jazz Orchestras, Large Ensembles, Bigger Bands
by David Brown
This week we take a look at jazz orchestras, large ensembles and bigger bands.Playlist Thelonious Monk “Esistrophy (Theme)" from Live at the It Club-Complete (Columbia) 01:30 Jihye Lee Orchestra “Karma" from Infinite Connections (Motéma Music) 03:00 John Hollenbeck & NDR Big Band “Marimba Hocket" from Coloring Hockets (Norddeutscher Rundfunk) 10:45 Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz ...
Carmen McRae, Quincy Jones, Black & White Sessions
by David Brown
This week, Duke Ellington works as interpreted by Franz Koglmann / Lee Konitz, Della Reese and then Etta Jones with the Cyril Haynes Quartet. The Jones tune comes from a Mosaic Box Set reissuing works recorded for the short-lived label Black & White Records. We'll hear two more tracks from that box, from Ivie Anderson and ...
Terry Gibbs: Dream Band, Vol. 7: The Lost Tapes, 1959
by Jack Bowers
In 1959, vibraphonist Terry Gibbs and his recently formed big band set up shop at the Seville, a Los Angeles nightclub owned by Harry Schiller. Many of those early sessions were taped, at Gibbs' request, by famed recording engineer Wally Heider before being left on a shelf and forgotten. After two weeks at the Seville, Gibbs ...
