Alto Saxophonist & Flutist Mark Lewis's
"The New York Session"
To Be Released by Audio Daddio
January 27
George Cables, Essiet Essiet, & Victor Lewis"The New York Session"
To Be Released by Audio Daddio
January 27
Lend Inspired Support
In a Program of Originals by the
Seattle-Area Leader
December 16, 2016
As well-traveled and widely recorded as alto saxophonist Mark Lewis has been over the past four decades, his new CD The New York Session
is likely to be the album that helps rectify his current
under-the-radar reputation. Recorded last year in Brooklyn with a
world-class rhythm section -- pianist George Cables, bassist Essiet Essiet, and drummer Victor Lewis -- the new disc will be released by Lewis's Audio Daddio label on January 27. It's the work of an artist clearly reveling in the company of fellow masters making the most of his tasty compositions.
"There's so much to savor and admire here," writes critic Ted Gioia, a self-professed Mark Lewis
fan who contributed the CD booklet notes. "Lewis's musicality, his
inventiveness, his humor, his ability to immerse himself in the
soundscape of the performance with total emotional commitment -- these
all stand out here in track after track."
L. to r.: Victor Lewis, Essiet Essiet, George Cables, Mark Lewis.
Whether he's inviting his listeners to a carnival on "Boberto's Magical World" or waxing philosophical on the introspective "Not As Beautiful As You,"
Lewis displays an utterly personal mix of authority, playfulness, and
interactive immediacy. He's at home in the blues, playing with relaxed
soul on the strolling, minor key "DL Blues," and draws on his deep love of African music for several pieces, most obviously on the lilting "Sierra Leone" and the boisterous 12/8 closer "Roll 'Em Joe."
Legally blind, Lewis hasn't let his disability slow him down,
traveling the world and establishing deep creative bonds wherever he's
landed. But not being able to assess a colleague's immediate reaction to
his music may shape his approach to recording.
"I don't see well enough to see facial expressions," Lewis
says. "I used simple compositions because I didn't want to clutter the
purity of the sound we were trying to get. I think pieces of music are
like places or rooms. You play in those spaces as a musician, in those
settings, and they'll make you into slightly different people doing
different things, which I think is good."
Born in Tacoma (in 1958) and raised on a farm outside of nearby Gig Harbor, Mark Lewis
absorbed music from both sides of his family. A standout player in
middle school, he formed his first band at 14. By high school, Lewis's
waking hours were filled with music as he played lead alto in the stage
band and clarinet in the concert band. Leading several bands around the
region, he supported himself while studying composition, flute,
electronic music, and piano at Western Washington University and the
Cornish Institute of Allied Arts.
Settling in Seattle, Lewis started performing regularly at
Norm Bobrow's Jazz at the Cirque showcase and quickly found invaluable
mentors amongst resident masters. Drummer Otis "Candy" Finch,
who'd moved to Seattle after a sterling New York career, recognized
Lewis's budding talent and took him under his wing. He also encouraged
him to get out of town, and in 1978 the 20-year-old saxophonist flew to
Europe with a one-way ticket, his alto sax, and virtually no contacts.
He ended up making Rotterdam his homebase for the next 14
years, and established himself as a vital force on the international
jazz scene as a player, label owner, and producer. Building an extensive
network of musical peers amongst Dutch players and American ex-pats
("Johnny Griffin got me my first gig in Europe," Lewis recalls), he
maintained three working Dutch groups.
Lewis's record company Audio Daddio became one of the era's essential outlets, releasing recordings by Art Foxall, Vonne Griffin, Al Hood, Art Lande, and David Friesen. The label's last European recording The Rotterdam Session features tenor saxophonist Clifford Jordan, who brought his ambitious "Presidential Suite" to the studio, and legendary jazz drummer Philly Joe Jones,
in one of his last recordings. Lewis also maintained a strong presence
back in the States, spending several long stints in the Bay Area in the
1980s. He gained a considerable following with a quartet featuring drum
maestro Eddie Moore, pianist Mark Levine, and a brilliant young bassist named Larry Grenadier (the group featured on most of his critically hailed 1988 album In the Spirit on Quartet Records).
Now based in Bremerton, a small city west of Seattle on the
Puget Sound where he returned to be close to his family, Lewis maintains
a busy schedule that includes teaching private students and college
clinics. He continues to expand his daunting book of compositions, which
number over 1,700. Though he's recorded more than 20 albums, only a
fraction of his compositions have been documented on record, another
reason why The New York Session is a
particularly important release. The discovery of a master improviser is
always thrilling, but finding a player/composer at the peak of his
powers is a rare occurrence indeed. Though fully aware of his
accomplishments, Lewis sees himself as part of a modern jazz continuum.
"I try to approach each composition, each performance, with knowledge
and technique from studying the masters who came before and also the
innocence of a child," he says. "I hope it keeps the music authentic and
genuine." *
Mark Lewis Quartet on Tour:
Wed. 1/4 Lighthouse Café, Hermosa Beach, CA, 6-9 pm
with Ron Kobayahi, p; Baba Elefante, b; Steve Dixon, d.
Thurs. 1/5 Jazz at the Merc, The Mercantile, Temecula, CA, 7:30-9:30 pm
with Ron Kobayahi, p; Baba Elefante, p; Steve Dixon, d.
Thurs. 1/12 Sacred Grounds Jazz Coffeehouse, Scottsdale, AZ, 7:30-9:30 pm
with Nick Manson, p; Jack Radavich, b; John Lewis, d.
Thurs. 1/19 Café Stritch, San Jose, CA, 8:30-11:55 pm
with Eddie Mendenhall, p; John Wiitala, b; Jason Lewis, d.
Photography: Rhonda Stewart
Web Site: marklewismusic.com