Mel Lewis

Early years

Lewis was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents Samuel and Mildred Sokoloff. 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 City 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 sideline. 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.

Playing style and approach

Lewis's cymbal work was considered unique among many musicians. Of his style, drummer Buddy Rich had remarked: "Mel Lewis doesn't sound like anybody else. He sounds like himself". Lewis 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, a 19-inch crash-ride on his left, and his signature sound, a 22-inch swish "knocker" with rivets on his far right. The rather lightweight cymbals exuded a dark, overtone-rich sound. Lewis' wood-shell drums were considered warm and rich in their sound. He almost exclusively played Gretsch drums, although in later years, played Slingerland drums equipped with natural calfskin top heads. Regular mylar heads were used on the bottom. Lewis described a playing philosophy of not "pushing or pulling" but "supporting". "If you watch me, it doesn't look like I'm doing much", he remarked in an interview.

Declining health and death

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

Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra

Video

Compilations

Jones and Lewis as guests with other orchestras

As sideman

With Pepper Adams

With Manny Albam

With Chet Baker

With Bob Brookmeyer

With Kenny Burrell

With Al Cohn

With Bob Cooper

With Eric Dolphy

With Maynard Ferguson

With Stan Getz

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Johnny Hodges

With Stan Kenton

With Jimmy Knepper

With Joe Lovano

With Johnny Mandel

With Herbie Mann

With Warne Marsh

With Jack McDuff

With Gary McFarland

With Jimmy McGriff

With James Moody

With Gerry Mulligan

With Anita O'Day

With Chico O'Farrill

With Shorty Rogers

With Pete Rugolo

With Sal Salvador

With Shirley Scott

With Bud Shank

With Sonny Stitt

With Thad Jones/Pepper Adams Quintet

With Gerald Wilson

With Jimmy Witherspoon

Concert performances