George Lewis
George Lewis never tried to be a virtuoso soloist. He loved to play melodic ensembles where his distinctive clarinet was free to improvise as simply as he desired. When Lewis was inspired and in tune, he could hold his own with any of his contemporaries in New Orleans and he always sounded beautiful playing his "Burgundy Street Blues." To everyone's surprise (including himself), he became one of the most popular figures of the New Orleans revival movement of the 1950s.
It took Lewis a long time to achieve fame. He taught himself clarinet when he was 18 and worked in the '20s with the Black Eagle Band, Buddy Petit, the Eureka Brass Band, Chris Kelly, Kid Ory, the Olympia Orchestra, and other New Orleans groups. He played with Bunk Johnson in Evan Thomas' group in the early '30s but had a day job throughout most of the decade. When Bunk was discovered in 1942, Lewis became part of his band, playing with him Johnson, however, was difficult to get along with and a homesick Lewis returned to New Orleans by 1946. He played locally with his own group (featuring trombonist Jim Robinson) and in 1950 was portrayed in an article for Look. That exposure led to him recording regularly, and by 1952, Lewis was in such great demand that he was soon working before crowds in California and touring Europe and Japan. In addition to Robinson, Lewis' band in its prime years often featured trumpeter Kid Howard, pianist Alton Purnell, banjoist Lawrence Marrero, bassist Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau, and drummer Joe Watkins. George Lewis, who recorded for many labels (a Mosaic box set of his Blue Note sessions is one of the best reissues), became a symbol of what was right and wrong about the New Orleans revival movement, overpraised by his fans and overcritized by his detractors. At his best he was well worth hearing.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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Donaueschingen (Duo) 1976
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by hat ART CD on 2 Feb 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sonic Rivers
Wadada Leo Smith, George Lewis, John Zorn
Jazz - Released by Tzadik on 24 Jun 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Beverly Caverns Sessions
Jazz - Released by Good Time Jazz on 1 Jan 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Usual Turmoil and Other Duets with George Lewis & Miya Masaoka
Classical - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 21 Jul 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sequel (For Lester Bowie)
Jazz - Released by Intakt Records on 15 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz At Preservation Hall: The George Lewis Band Of New Orleans
Jazz - Released by Rhino Atlantic on 1 Jan 1963
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yankees
Derek Bailey, George Lewis & John Zorn, Derek Bailey, George Lewis, John Zorn
Jazz - Released by Celluloid on 14 May 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George Lewis
Dixieland - Released by Everest Records on 1 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Change Of Season
Steve Lacy, George Lewis, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Arjen Gorter
Jazz - Released by Soul Note on 31 Dec 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Keeper of the Flame
Jazz - Released by Storyville on 21 Jan 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Best of George Lewis 1943-1964
Jazz - Released by GHB on 20 Dec 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Solo Trombone Record
Free Jazz & Avant-Garde - Released by Sackville on 1 Jan 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Homage To Charles Parker
Jazz - Released by Black Saint on 31 Dec 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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In Hi-Fi ................Plus
George Lewis, George Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, Bob Thomas, Alton Purnell, Alcide Slow Drag Pavageau, Joe Watkins
Jazz - Released by Upbeat Jazz on 16 Jul 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Will to Adorn: The Music of George Lewis
International Contemporary Ensemble, George Lewis, Steven Schick, David Fulmer
Chamber Music - Released by Tundra on 6 Jan 2017
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Endless Shout
Alternative & Indie - Released by Tzadik on 25 Jan 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George Lewis And His New Orleans Stompers
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 Jan 1955
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Classic New Orleans Jazz Vol. 1 From The Rare Center Series
George Lewis, The Mustache Stompers
Jazz - Released by Biograph Records on 16 Oct 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Funeral in New Orleans
Jazz - Released by Tradition Records on 5 Oct 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George Lewis and Alton Purnell
Jazz - Released by Upbeat Jazz on 5 Oct 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo