Charlie Lewis

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Louis Charles "Charlie" Lewis (born October 16, 1903 in Chattanooga (Tennessee) ; † unknown) was an American jazz pianist who worked mostly in France.

Live and act

Charlie Lewis, who was African American and also called himself "Dizzy", began his music career with Jimmie Lunceford before moving to Europe in the late 1930s. In 1938 he recorded with Leon Abbey in Stockholm and Copenhagen . From 1940 he lived in France, where he played "Jimmy" in March with Django Reinhardt and the Orchester de Chez. Another studio session followed on March 22, 1940, during which Lewis recorded with the guitarist ( Django's Music ) and the tracks "Tears" , "Limehouse Blues", "Daphne" and "At the Jimmy's Bar" were created.

In the following years he worked in France and Belgium a. a. also with Alix Combelle , Philippe Brun , Hubert Rostaing , Aimé Barelli , Michel Warlop , Alex Renard , Christian Wagner and Maceo Jefferson . In June 1941 Lewis had the opportunity to record a number of popular jazz numbers such as " Tea for Two ", " Night and Day " or " Honeysuckle Rose " for Pathé in the trio line-up (with bassist Sigismond Beck and drummers Pierre Fouad and André Jourdan ) . In 1943 he worked in Brussels with André Ekyan .

During this period, Lewis produced a number of records under his own name, including a. as Charlie Lewis and His Rhythm (with Emmanuel Soudieux and Jerry Mengo) the tracks "Long Ago and Far Away" and "April in Paris" 1945 for Blue Star , as Charles Louis (to deceive the Nazi authorities) "Bonsoir, Jolie Madame / Tout Ca, C'est Pour Nous “and as Charlie Lewis Trio the numbers Coquette and Some of These Days .

As African Americans the German occupying forces suspect, he was by the Nazis in an internment plugged. After the liberation of Paris , he played in the sextet of Jerry Mengo and Big Boy trio of Frank "Big Boy" goodie with drummer Benny Bennett ( " What Is This Thing Called Love ").

In late 1946, Lewis took part in a jam session for the Swing label (including with George Kennedy, Frank “Big Boy” Goudie, Jean-Pierre Sasson , Georges Hadjo and Benny Bennett); In 1949 he recorded (as Charley Lewis ) with Buck Clayton (heard in "Swingin 'at Sundown" and "Sugar Blues"), in October 1949 and still in 1952 with Sidney Bechet's All Star Band. In the field of jazz he was involved in 26 recording sessions between 1938 and 1952.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cast: Philippe Brun , Charlie Lewis, Django Reinhardt, probably Baro Ferret , Emmanuel Soudieux , Pierre Fouad or HP Chadel
  2. ↑ With the cast: Philippe Brun (tp, b-tp-4), Pierre Allier (tp), Alex Renard (tp, b-tp-4), Albert Piguillem (tp), Guy Paquinet , Gaston Moat , Pierre Deck ( tb), André Ekyan (as-1), Alix Combelle (bar-2, ts-3, cl-4), Charlie Lewis (p), Django Reinhardt, Pierre "Baro" Ferret (git), Emmanuel Soudieux (kb) .
  3. ↑ a b c Tom Lord The Jazz Discography (online, accessed November 1, 2017)
  4. ^ Storyville, Issues 111-122, Storyville Publications, 1984
  5. ↑ Clarence Lusane: Hitler's Black Victims: The Historical Experiences of European Blacks, Africans and African Americans in the Nazi Era . Routledge, 2004.
personal data
SURNAME Lewis, Charlie
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lewis, Charles
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH October 16, 1903
PLACE OF BIRTH Chattanooga, Tennessee
DATE OF DEATH after 1952