Mel Lewis

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Mel Lewis
MelLewis-1979.jpg
Mel Lewis performing in 1978
Background information
Birth name Melvin Sokoloff
Born (1929-05-10)May 10, 1929
Buffalo, New York
United States
Died February 2, 1990(1990-02-02) (aged 60)
New York City, New York
United States
Genres Jazz
Occupations Musician, bandleader
Instruments Drums
Years active 1954 - 1990
Labels Nimbus Records, Telarc, Atlantic, Solid State Records, A&M, Philadelphia International, VSOP, Blue Note
Associated acts The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman

Mel Lewis (May 10, 1929 – February 2, 1990) was the stage name of an American drummer, jazz musician and bandleader. During his life, Lewis was a prominent solo performer, and a professor at William Paterson University, during which time he also authored a book on the art of drumming. In addition, Lewis extended his talents as session musician. Throughout his life he garnered fourteen Grammy nominations.

Contents

Biography [edit]

Early years [edit]

Lewis was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York to Russian immigrant parents. He started playing professionally as a teen, eventually joining Stan Kenton in 1954. His musical career brought him to Los Angeles in 1957 and New York in 1963.

Career [edit]

In 1966 in New York, he teamed up with Thad Jones to lead the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. The group started as informal jam sessions with the top studio and jazz musicians of the city, but eventually began performing regularly on Monday nights at the famed venue, the Village Vanguard. In 1979 the band won a Grammy for their album Live in Munich.[1] Like all of the musicians in the band, it was only a side line. In 1976, he released an album titled "Mel Lewis and Friends" that featured him leading a smaller sextet that allowed freedom and improvisation.

The band became The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, but when Jones moved to Denmark in 1978, it became known as Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra. Lewis continued to lead the band, recording and performing every Monday night at the Village Vanguard until shortly before his death from cancer at age 60. The band still performs on most Monday nights at the Village Vanguard; today it's known as The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and has released several CDs.

The sound [edit]

Lewis's cymbal work was unique and added qualities to his groups that are hard to describe, but that are recognized immediately and virtually impossible to emulate (Buddy Rich once said that "Mel Lewis doesn't sound like anybody except himself"). He insisted on playing genuine Turkish-made cymbals, switching from the Zildjian brand later in his career to the Istanbul brand. His setup included a 21-inch ride on his right, an 19-inch crash-ride on his left, and his signature sound, a 22-inch swish "knocker" with rivets on his far right. The dark, overtone-rich sound of these rather lightweight cymbals, combined with the rich, warm sound of his wood-shell drums (he almost exclusively played Gretsch drums, although in later years was playing Slingerland drums) equipped with natural calfskin top heads (again, Lewis was a purist), using regular mylar heads on the bottom, exuded a veritable treasure trove of sound. Lewis once described his playing philosophy of not "pushing or pulling" but "supporting." "If you watch me, it doesn't look like I'm doing much," he said in an interview, describing his subtle but highly musical style. He could play at a break-neck tempo for lengthy periods and hardly break a sweat. He wasn't flashy or loud—just tasteful, and highly musical.

In the late 1980s, Lewis was diagnosed with melanoma. It was identified in his arm, then surfaced in his lungs, and ultimately went to his brain. He died on February 2, 1990, just days before his band was to celebrate its 24th anniversary at the Village Vanguard.

Discography [edit]

[icon] This section requires expansion. (December 2008)

Mel Lewis and the Orchestra [edit]

  • Naturally, 1979, Telarc
  • Live in Montreux: Mel Lewis Plays Herbie Hancock, 1980, MPS Records/ Pausa
  • Live at the Village Vanguard, ...Featuring the Music of Bob Brookmeyer, 1980
  • Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra, 1982, Finesse
  • 20 Years at the Village Vanguard, 1985, Atlantic
  • The Definitive Thad Jones, Live from The Village Vangard 2CD set, 1988, Nimbus Records
  • Definitive Thad Jones, Vol. 1, 1988, Music Masters Jazz
  • Definitive Thad Jones, Vol. 2, 1988, Music Masters Jazz
  • Soft Lights and Hot Music, 1988, Music Masters Jazz
  • To You: A Tribute to Mel Lewis, 1990, Music Masters Jazz

Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra [edit]

Video performances [edit]

Compilations [edit]

Jones and Lewis as guest bandleaders / performers with other orchestras [edit]

As sideman [edit]

With Kenny Burrell

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Joe Lovano

With Herbie Mann

With Jack McDuff

With Gary McFarland

With James Moody

With Chico O'Farrill

With Shirley Scott

With Sonny Stitt

With Jimmy Witherspoon

Filmography [edit]

Concert performances [edit]

  • 1999 Jazz at the Smithsonian (Kultur Video)
  • 2003 Jazz Casual – Thad Jones & Mel Lewis and Woody Herman (Jazz Casual)
  • 2005 Jazz Masters Series – Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra (Shanachie)
  • 2007 Mel Lewis and His Big Band (VIEW)[2]

References [edit]

  1. ^ LA Times, "The Envelope" awards database. (link) Accessed 2008 April 30.
  2. ^ Artist: Lewis, Mel. "VIEW DVD Listing". View.com. Retrieved 2011-10-21. 

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mel Lewis (drummer)
Thad Jones and Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra
Albums
Compilations
Jones / Lewis as
guest bandleaders
Video recordings
Authority control
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