Lew Stone
Lewis "Lew" Stone (born May 28, 1898 in Stepney , London , † January 12, 1969 ibid) was a British band leader and arranger of dance music and swing .
Live and act
Stone played piano as a teenager and had odd jobs, including in the family's lumber company, until he began playing professionally in 1925, first with the London Aeolian Band in Newcastle. He played in London and Margate and then with his own band in the Netherlands and Hungary. From 1927 he began to arrange, particularly in Bert Ambrose's orchestra , to which he was a substitute pianist and arranger from 1928 to 1931. He also played in the orchestra of Jean Pougnet (1928 Green Park Hotel, 1930). From 1931 to 1934 he was musical director at British and Dominion Films . He also worked as a freelance arranger and led his own band for studio recordings. In 1931 he arranged with Roy Fox and led the band in the Monseigneur Restaurant during his illness. After his return he took over the band, which was very successful on the radio (with singer Al Bowlly and trumpeter / singer Nat Gonella , recordings for Decca). He toured with the band, led the orchestras of several nightclubs (Hollywood Restaurant 1934, Café de Paris 1936/37 - with regular radio broadcasts on Radio Normandy and Radio Luxembourg - and in 1938, El Morocco in 1939) and shows in London's West End.
In the late 1930s he also played arrangements for the Casa Loma Orchestra , adapted for his soloists. From 1940 to 1942 he led his own band (septet) in the Dorchester Hotel, where he led the Novachord himself . During World War II he often played for the armed forces and toured in variety theaters. From 1945 to 1947 he led a band in the Embassy Club and big bands for radio and special appearances. From 1947 to 1949 he was musical director of the musical Annie Get Your Gun , 1951 to 1955 in Pigalle Restaurant, 1953 to 1955 in Oddenino's and 1955 in La Romanza. He also played a lot with his big band on the radio and on tour. He played with the Yiddish singer Leo Fuld in the late 1950s .
In 1959 he opened his own agency. He also led a septet for the radio from 1959 to 1967 after the BBC had asked him to reduce his 14-man big band in 1959. In 1964 he became seriously ill.
He is the uncle of the trumpeter Leslie Stone .
Book publications
- Lew Stone Harmony and Orchestration for the Modern Dance Band , Henri Selmer 1935, 1944
literature
- John Chilton Whos Who of British Jazz , Continuum 2004
- Kenith Trodd Lew Stone - A Career in Music , J. Stone 1971
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Stone, Lew |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Stone, Lewis |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British orchestra conductor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 28, 1898 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Stepney , London |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 12, 1969 |
| Place of death | London |