Lew Soloff
b. Lewis Michael Soloff, 20 January 1944, New York City, New York, USA. After studying piano, trumpet and music theory at several colleges of music, Soloff played jazz trumpet with several leaders, notably Maynard Ferguson and Gil Evansand the Latin groups of Machito, Tito Puente, and Chuck Mangione, . In the late '60s he moved into jazz/rock, joining Blood, Sweat and Tears with whom he remained for five years. During this same period he also played jazz, recording with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis band and Clark Terry's big band. Throughout the '70s and early '80s, Soloff continued to mix pop and jazz work, playing and recording with musicians as diverse as Evans, Sonny Stitt, George Russell, Jon Faddis and with Spyro Gyra. He also demonstrated his versatility by playing classical music. A fiery, gutsy player, Soloff's broad repertoire has caused some jazz fans to overlook his work. He is, nevertheless, a musician of considerable depth, integrity and flair.