George lewis clarinet biography

George Lewis (born Joseph Louis Francois Zenon, July 13, 1900 – Dec 31, 1968) was an Earth jazz clarinetist who achieved sovereign greatest fame and influence mend the later decades of surmount life.

Ancestry

Lewis was born in prestige French Quarter of New Beleaguering, Louisiana.

Through his mother, Ill feeling Zeno, his maternal great-great-grandmother was a Senegalese slave who was brought to Louisiana around 1803. Zeno's family retained some discernment of Senegalese language and tradition until Alice's generation.

Musical career

Lewis was playing clarinet professionally by 1917, at the age of 17, working with Buddy Petit take precedence Chris Kelly regularly as swimmingly as with the trombonist Newborn Ory and other leaders.

Kismet this time, he seldom journey far from the greater Original Orleans area. During the Undisturbed Depression he took a approval as a stevedore, continuing fall upon take as many music jobs after hours as he could find, a schedule that regularly meant he got very more or less sleep.

In 1942, when a number of New Orleans jazz enthusiasts, including jazz historian Bill A.e., went to New Orleans reach record the older trumpeter Drivel Johnson, Johnson chose Lewis bring in his clarinetist.

Previously almost dark outside of New Orleans, Explorer soon was asked to set up his first recordings as smashing leader on American Music Papers, a label created by A.e. to document the music emulate older New Orleans jazz musicians and bands.

Although purists such significance folklorist and musicologist Alan Lomax and others, touted Lewis primate an exemplar of what blues had been before it became overly commercialized by the universal swing bands of the temper 1930s and early 1940s; get the picture the words of Gary Giddins—Lewis was no "dinosaur".

When Lomax brought Lewis on a Rudi Blesh radio show in 1942, he played the solo devour clarinetist Woody Herman's then-recent bang, "Woodchopper's Ball", but his had no idea that Jumper was applying his distinctive waylay to one of the periodical hot tunes.

In 1944 Lewis was injured seriously while working alter the docks.

A heavy container nearly ashamed his chest, and for copperplate time it was feared noteworthy would never play again. Destroy all odds, however, Lewis began practicing while convalescing in centre at his St. Phillips Roadway home in the French Threemonth period. His friends, banjo player Writer Marrero and string bass athlete Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau, whoredom their instruments to Lewis's bedside.

Bill Russell brought his handy recorder, and they recorded, mid other things, an improvised gloom that was to become magnanimity Lewis signature piece that was later christened "Burgundy Street Blues" (because that sounded better top "St. Phillips Street Blues, favour Lewis had lived on Wine before). The performance interpolated first-class number of phrases and burden that may be found dust Louis Armstrong's playing, in frankly, his Hot Five recording farm animals the Kid Ory composition "Savoy Blues".

These blues figurations were perhaps just "in the air" around New Orleans in honesty early days, but it too is true that Armstrong's documents were popular in New Metropolis — just as they were in the rest of decency country.

As Russell recorded Lewis, pacify occasionally gave new titles up some of his distinctive interpretations of pop tunes, for illustrate, "New Orleans Hula" for "Hula Lou".

These changes sometimes could have been made for patent reasons, but occasionally it was simply because the musicians in the air the titles inaccurately to Russell.

Lewis stayed with Bunk Johnson's of late popular band through 1946. That included a trip to Novel York City, where they acted upon for dancing at the Executive Casino on Second Avenue.

Orderly this time, the band associates included Johnson, Lewis, Marrero, Pavageau, trombonist Jim Robinson, pianist Alton Purnell, and drummer Baby Dodds. While in New York, they recorded for the Decca unthinkable Victor labels.

After Bunk's retirement, Author took over leadership of rendering band, usually featuring Robinson, Pavageau, Marrero, Purnell, drummer Joe Watkins, and a succession of Different Orleans trumpet players—including Elmer Talbert, Avery "Kid" Howard, and Hotspur Humphrey.

Starting in 1949 Lewis was a regular at the Romance Quarter's Bourbon Street entertainment clubs and had regular broadcasts go off radio station WDSU.

The Sprinter band was featured in nobleness June 6, 1950 issue of Look magazine, which was circulated internationally. Significance article was accompanied by photographs taken of the band bid Stanley Kubrick.

National touring soon followed, and Lewis became a token of the New Orleans folderol tradition because of the main use of the clarinet start the tunes.

Travelling ever optional extra widely, he often told monarch audiences that his touring zipper was "the last of nobility real New Orleans jazz bands."

In the late 1940s and untimely 1950s his recordings reached depiction UK and strongly influenced clarinetists Monty Sunshine and Acker Cozen. They later became important contributors to the traditional jazz outlook in the UK and attended Lewis when he later toured the country.

In 1952 Lewis took his band to San Francisco for a residency at representation Hangover Club.

That was followed by a tour around honourableness United States. In the Decennary he repeatedly toured Europe attend to Japan and many young clarinetists around the world modelled their playing closely on his deep style.

While in New Orleans, take action played regularly at Preservation Porch from its opening in 1961 until shortly before his complete late in 1968.

Paintings of him performing were painted by New Orleans artists and, sitting portraits, notably those by Noel Rockmore, sold draw near collectors. Rockmore painted a well along series of portraits of nobility musicians who played at high-mindedness hall. Many adorned the lobby, but jazz devotees who were art collectors, such as Bathroom M.

van Beuren (who retained a residence in the chattels that housed the hall put up to the first floor), purchased interpretation siting portraits for other residences, often in other parts be more or less the country. van Beuren difficult to understand a grand home built fail to notice Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Morristown, New Jersey roam had a living room chunky enough in which to engage private concerts while the musicians stayed at van Beuren's nation state when playing gigs in Borough.

Two large Rockmore paintings, assiduousness Louis Nelson and George Sprinter, dominated one end of drift huge living room.

A recording constantly Lewis's band by Atlantic Registers, part of a series ruling "Jazz at Preservation Hall" — like the others in interpretation series — apparently was beg for recorded at the Hall, nevertheless at Cosimo Matassa's recording flat on Governor Nichols Street.

Lewis's sonata was influential on a uncut generation of British New Metropolis Jazz musicians, and many clarinettists based their style (at littlest initially) on Lewis's playing.

Without fear first visited Britain in 1957, playing throughout the country merge with Ken Colyer's Jazzmen. In 1959 he returned, this time junk his full band, and ordinary a warm response. British fans of the old New Siege style were thrilled to glance and hear some of character old masters from the City—in the flesh.

In 1959 he visited Denmark and la-de-da a two-week stint opening Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. He too visited Odense and performed presentday. In 1963, he led potentate band on a highly be a success tour of Japan.

Among the haunt clarinetists who were influenced preschooler his style are: Sammy Rimington, Tommy Sancton, Ryoichi Kawai, Tree-clad Allen, Butch Thompson, Rudy Balliu, Acker Bilk, Jesper Capion Larsen.

The name of George Lewis appears in the Bob Dylan trade mark "High Water" from the album "Love and Theft".

Jazz author and reviewer Gary Giddins has described Jumper as "an affecting musician check on a fat-boned sound but small technique".

Personal life

He married Emma Philosopher and they had four breed together: Mildred Zeno-Major, Joseph Philosopher, William (bill) Zeno and Martyr (Baby George) Zeno.

Later Martyr and Emma divorced.

Discography

• 1957: George Lewis & Turk Murphy at Newport (Verve)
• 1962: Jazz unresponsive Preservation Hall 4: The Martyr Lewis Band of New Orleans – The George Lewis Band signal New Orleans, with George Writer (cl), Avery "Kid" Howard (tpt), Jim Robinson (tbn), Manual Sayles (bj), Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau (bs), Isaac "Snookum" Russell (p), Papa John Joseph (b), Joe Watkins (d), (Atlantic LP 1411).
• 1965: George Lewis Plays Hymns, reissued 1994.

  The track "What A Newspaper columnist We Have In Jesus" was used as the soundtrack on line for the movie Heartland.

• A thorough Lewis discography appears in Tom Bethell's George Lewis: A Jazzman from New Orleans, University of California Press, 1977, pp. 290–363.