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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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 okt. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jazz Funeral in New Orleans
Jazz - Released by Tradition Records on 5 okt. 1953
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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George Lewis and Alton Purnell
Jazz - Released by Upbeat Jazz on 5 okt. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Storyville Presents The A-Z Jazz Encyclopedia-L
Jazz - Released by Storyville on 19 okt. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Live At "A Space" 1975
Muhal Richard Abrams, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell
Jazz - Released by Sackville on 18 jun. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A New Orleans Dixieland Spectacular (Digitally Remastered)
Dixieland - Released by Essential Media Group on 11 sep. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dutch Masters
Steve Lacy, George Lewis, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Ernst Reÿseger
Jazz - Released by Soul Note on 25 mrt. 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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George Lewis Douglas Ewart
Jazz - Released by Black Saint on 1 jan. 1979
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Famous Manchester Free Trade Hall Concert 1957 (Remastered 2022) (Live)
Jazz - Released by Upbeat Jazz on 10 mei 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George Lewis: Changing With the Times
Klassiek - Released by New World Records on 1 jan. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rare Cuts: Well Done, Vol. 8
Albert Nicholas, Edmond Hall, George Lewis
Jazz - Released by Jazz Crusade on 12 dec. 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The George Lewis Band at Herbert Otto's Party 1949
Jazz - Released by American Music on 10 dec. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George Lewis Of New Orleans
Jazz - Released by Riverside on 1 jan. 1958
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Louis Nelson Big Four, Vol. 2
Jazz - Released by GHB on 10 feb. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
George Lewis and the Easy Riders Jazz Band
George Lewis, The Easy Riders Jazz Band
Jazz - Released by GHB on 7 jun. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cooke, India: RedHanded
India Cooke, Lisle Ellis, George Lewis, Larry Ochs, Donald Robinson, Lee,
Jazz - Released by Music and Arts Programs of America on 1 jan. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -