Mel Lewis
b. 10 May 1929, Buffalo, New York, USA, d. 3 February 1990. Following in the footsteps of his father, Lewis took up drumming as a child and was playing professionally by his early teens. In 1948, he joined Boyd Raeburn's modern big band, then played in a number of well-known dance bands of the late swing era, including those of Ray Anthony and Tex Beneke. In 1954, he was hired by Stan Kenton and then worked in the west coast film studios, with the big bands of Bill Holman and Woody Herman, later performing with various small jazz groups until the end of the decade. In the '60s, he played with numerous bands,including those led by Gerry Mulligan, Benny Goodman and Dizzy Gillespie. Settling in New York, Lewis established a musical partnership with Thad Jones, which in 1965 resulted in the formation of the Jazz Orchestra, a big band formed from the many fine jazz players living in the city and earning their living in non-jazz work in radio and television orchestras. The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, with a regular weekly gig at the Village Vanguard and a series of fine recordings, became a byword for the best in contemporary big band music. National and international tours helped spread the word and by the time the Jones-Lewis partnership was dissolved, in 1978, there were few comparable units left in existence. With Jones gone, Lewis decided to continue with the band (as someone was to remark, ‘Mel and Thad got divorced, Mel got the kids’) and with Bob Brookmeyer providing new arrangements to augment the magnificent library Jones had created, the band was still a big attraction. A skilled and always swinging drummer, equally at home subtly urging a small group or punching along a powerful big band, Lewis was a master of his craft and greatly respected among his peers.