Vic Lewis

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Victor "Vic" Lewis (born July 29, 1919 , † February 9, 2009 ) was a British jazz musician ( guitarist , pianist , singer , band leader ) and cricketer .

Live and act

Vic Lewis began playing the guitar at the age of three and also learned the cornet and trombone . George Shearing also played in one of his first bands . In the 1930s Lewis played in London clubs; in 1938 he toured the United States, where he made his first records with a band made up of Bobby Hackett , Eddie Condon and Pee Wee Russell . He served in the Royal Air Force from 1941 to 1944 ; During this time he played in Buddy Featherstonhaugh's R.AF sextet . In 1944/45 he also worked with Stéphane Grappelli, who lived in England, and then with Ted Heath . During this time he was also the co-leader of a band with Jack Parnell .

In 1946 Lewis put together his first big band , stylistically based on the sound of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. Kenton also provided Lewis with some of his arrangements from Pete Rugolo , Gerry Mulligan and Bill Holman . The arranger was also his pianist Ken Thorne . Between 1956 and 1959 the band toured the US and recorded a number of albums for Parlophone , Esquire , Decca and Philips . In the band, which existed until the early 1960s, musicians such as Vic Ash , Tubby Hayes , Derek Humble , Danny Moss , Jimmy Skidmore and Kathy Stobart played .

After 1959, Lewis gradually withdrew from the active music scene and only recorded occasionally, but continued to work as a writer on jazz topics. He moved into management and organized the careers of artists such as photographer Robert Whitaker and singer Cilla Black . He also founded his own cricket club and represented the USA on the International Cricket Council .

In the mid-1980s he resumed his band leader activities and worked with old stars of West Coast jazz such as Shorty Rogers and Bud Shank ; In the 1990s he put the formation The West Coast All Stars together - more as a financier and manager than as a band leader and musician - and recorded several albums with them for the Candid label, with arrangements by Bill Holman and songs by Jimmy Van Heusen ( Shake Down the Stars ). Contributing musicians were u. a. Alan Broadbent , Conte Candoli , Bob Cooper , Lennie Niehaus , Jack Nimitz , Bill Perkins , Bud Shank, Jack Sheldon and Frank Strazzeri .

He is not to be confused with the jazz drummer Victor Lewis .

Discographic notes

  • Vic Lewis Jam Sessions, Vol.4 1942-1943 (Harlequin)
  • Singin 'the Blues (Upbeat, 1944/45) with Dick Katz , Jack Parnell
  • Shorty Rogers and Bud Shank with Vic Lewis and His Big Band- Back Again (Concept, 1984)
  • West Coast All Stars Play Bill Holman (Candid, 1993/04)
  • Shake the Stars (Candid, 1992) with Joel DiBartolo
  • Vic Lewis Presenting A Celebration of Contemporary West Coast jazz (Candid, 1993–94)
  • Me and You! (Candid, 1997)

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Cook / Morton relativize his artistic role with the West Coast All Stars and highlight Bill Perkins´ role in this project. See Cook / Morton, 908.
personal data
SURNAME Lewis, Vic
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Lewis, Victor (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British jazz musician and band leader
DATE OF BIRTH July 29, 1919
DATE OF DEATH February 9, 2009