Mel Lewis
Although he was generally reluctant to solo, Mel Lewis was considered one of the definitive big band drummers, a musician who was best at driving an orchestra, but could also play quite well with smaller units. He started playing professionally when he was 15 and worked with the big bands of Boyd Raeburn (1948), Alvino Rey, Ray Anthony, and Tex Beneke. Lewis gained a great deal of recognition in the jazz world for his work with Stan Kenton (1954-1957), making the large ensemble swing hard. In 1957, he settled in Los Angeles, became a studio drummer, and worked with the big bands of Terry Gibbs and Gerald Wilson. Lewis went to New York to play with Gerry Mulligan's Concert Jazz Band in 1960, and he toured Europe with Dizzy Gillespie (1961) and the Soviet Union with Benny Goodman (1962). In 1965, Lewis formed an orchestra in New York with Thad Jones which grew to be one of the top big bands in jazz. When Jones surprised everyone by suddenly fleeing to Europe in 1979, Lewis became the orchestra's sole leader, playing regularly each Monday night at the Village Vanguard until his death. Lewis recorded as a leader in the 1950s for San Francisco Jazz Records, Mode (reissued on V.S.O.P.), and Andex and, after Thad Jones left their orchestra, Lewis recorded with his big band for Atlantic, Telarc, and Music Masters.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
Discography
27 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Mel Tormé at the Crescendo (Remastered 2014) [Live]
Mel Tormé, Max Bennett, Larry Bunker, Don Fagerquist, Mel Lewis
Jazz - Released by Bethlehem Records on 30 Sep 2014
Available in24-Bit/96 kHz Stereo -
Consummation (Remixed & Remastered 1994)
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 Jan 1970
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Live At The Village Vanguard (Live)
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 Jun 1967
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Mel Lewis & the Jazz Orchestra Play the Compositions of Herbie Hancock Live in Montreux
Jazz - Released by MPS on 1 Jan 2016
Available in24-Bit/88 kHz Stereo -
Thad Jones, Mel Lewis & UMO
Pop - Released by WM Finland on 14 Jun 2013
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Central Park North
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 Jan 1969
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Live At The Village Vanguard
Mel Lewis, Bob Brookmeyer, Clark Terry
Jazz - Released by Gryphon Records on 1 Jan 1991
Available in24-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon at the Renaissance
Jimmy Witherspoon, Jerry Mulligan, Ben Webster
Jazz - Released by HIFI Records on 6 Jul 1960
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Dizzy Gillespie Quintet (live recording)
Dizzy Gillespie Sextet, Dizzy Gillespie, Leo Wright, Lalo Schifrin, Bob Cunningham, Mel Lewis
Jazz - Released by SWR Jazzhaus on 1 Jan 2012
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Live On Tour Switzerland (Live)
Jazz - Released by LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records on 1 Jan 2006
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Thad Jones & Mel Lewis Orchestra
Jazz - Released by LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records on 17 Jun 2008
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Mel Lewis Septet (Got 'Cha) & Sextet
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on 20 May 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
All Star Parade of Jazz and Blues Legends, Vol. 7 - The Big Bands
Jazz - Released by LRC Ltd. - Groove Merchant Records on 7 Jan 2015
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Jimmy Witherspoon at the Renaissance (Live)
Jimmy Witherspoon, Jerry Mulligan, Ben Webster
Jazz - Released by HIFI Records on 6 Jul 1960
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Mel Lewis & The Jazz Orchestra (Original)
Jazz - Released by Gryphon on 6 Jan 2006
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
The Lost Art
Bebop - Released by Jazz Heritage Society on 1 Jan 1989
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Avec Amour (Live Paris '69)
Thad Jones, Mel Lewis, Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra
Alternative & Indie - Released by Wolf Tree on 4 May 2023
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
House of the Rising Sun (There is a House)
Rock - Released by 4682419 Records DK on 31 Dec 1925
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Jazz Delivery
Hacke Bjorksten, Mel Lewis, Ulf Johansson Werre
Jazz - Released by Beaver Records on 1 Jan 1988
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Frankenstein vs. The Creature from Blood Cove (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Film Soundtracks - Released by Lakeshore Records on 5 Aug 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo