Mel Lewis

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.

Early years
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
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. 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
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.

Mel Lewis and the Orchestra

 * 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

 * Opening Night (recorded 1966, released 2000) Alan Grant Presents
 * Presenting Thad Jones / Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra (1966) Solid State Records
 * Presenting Joe Williams and Thad Jones / Mel Lewis, The Jazz Orchestra (1966) Solid State
 * Live at the Village Vanguard (1967) Solid State
 * The Big Band Sound of Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Featuring Miss Ruth Brown (1968) Solid State
 * Monday Night (1968) Solid State
 * Central Park North (1969) Solid State
 * Basle, 1969 (recorded 1969, released 1996) TCB Music
 * Consummation (1970) Solid State / Blue Note
 * Suite for Pops (1972) Horizon / A&M
 * Live in Tokyo (1974) Denon Jazz
 * Potpourri (1974) Philadelphia International
 * Thad Jones / Mel Lewis and Manuel De Sica (1974) Pausa
 * New Life: Dedicated to Max Gordon (1975) A&M
 * Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra With Rhoda Scott aka Rhoda Scott in New York with... (1976)
 * Live in Munich (1976) Horizon / A&M
 * It Only Happens Every Time (1977) EMI Records – with Monica Zetterlund
 * Body and Soul aka Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra in Europe (1978) West Wind Jazz – Live in Berlin
 * A Touch of Class (1978) West Wind Jazz – Live in Warsaw

Video performances

 * Jazz Casual – Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra... (recorded 1968) – a 1968 Television appearance

Compilations

 * The Blue Note Reissue Series: Thad Jones / Mel Lewis (recorded 1966 - 1970) Blue Note
 * The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra (recorded 1966 - 1970) Mosaic Records / Blue Note
 * In Europe (2007) ITM
 * The Complete (Live in) Poland Concerts 1976 & 1978 (2009) Gambit

Jones and Lewis as guest bandleaders / performers with other orchestras

 * Greetings and Salutations (1975) Town Crier – Jones, Lewis and Jon Faddis with the Swedish Radio Jazz Group, Stockholm
 * Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and UMO (1977) RCA Records – Jones and Lewis with the UMO Jazz Orchestra, Helsinki

As sideman
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
 * Blue Bash! (Verve, 1963) - with Jimmy Smith
 * Ellington Is Forever (Fantasy, 1975)
 * The New Continent (Limelight, 1962)
 * Tones, Shapes & Colors (Soul Note, 1985)
 * Great Ideas of Western Mann (Riverside, 1957)
 * Prelude (Prestige, 1963)
 * Point of Departure (Impulse!, 1963)
 * Tijuana Jazz (Impulse!, 1965)
 * Great Day (Argo, 1963)
 * Moody and the Brass Figures (Milestone, 1966)
 * Nine Flags (Impulse!, 1966)
 * Latin Shadows (Impulse!, 1965)
 * Sonny Stitt Blows the Blues (Verve, 1959)
 * Saxophone Supremacy (Verve, 1959)
 * Sonny Stitt Swings the Most (Verve, 1959)
 * Blues for Easy Livers (Prestige, 1965)

Concert performances

 * 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)