John Lewis piano 1920 LaGrange IL
Pianist and composer John Lewis did much to distinguish himself and the world of jazz in the more than 50 years he gave to this artform. He gained most of his fame as a member and leader of "The Modern Jazz Quartet", one of the finest, best coordinated and polished groups in modern jazz. When Lewis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, bassist Percy Heath, and drummer Connie Kay walked on stage to perform, their formal appearance combined with their chamber music approach to jazz held their audiences in awe. It's not hard to understand why the MJQ was always booked a year in advance. Some critics claimed Lewis didn't swing, but he didn't have to: he wrote the arrangements, leaving plenty of room to showcase Jackson, Heath, and Kay. Lewis attended theUniversity of New Mexico. After service in WWII, John continued his studies while still working with the top jazz men of that time. Lewis earned his master degree from the Manhattan Schoolof Music in 1953. He continued his education till earning a PHD. John Lewis contributed a great deal to jazz: beautiful and poignant compositions like "Django", "Milan", "Afternoon in Paris", and "European Windows",recorded in 1958 with members of the Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra. In every sense, John Lewis was a class act. John Lewis died in 2001.
Yank Lawson trumpet 1911 Renton MO
Yank Lawson was noted for being one of the most popular sidemen in jazz, and for his many associations with big bands. Ben Pollack, Tommy Dorsey, and Benny Goodman, to name a few. During the1950s, he and Bob Haggart co-led a jazz band for a successful series of LP recordings. Around this time he was also a staff musician at NBC. In 1965 a wealthy jazz fan, Dick Gibson, helped organize a group, presented as "The World's Greatest Jazz Band", with Lawson and Haggart co-leading. The band made it's first appearance in 1968 atThe Riverboat in N.Y.C. Members at that time included Billy Butterfield, Lou McGarity, Carl Fontanna, Bob Wilber, Bud Freeman, Ralph Sutton, Morey Feld, and singer Maxine Sullivan. Arrangements, mostly by Haggart and Wilber, gave the band a personal flavor in that it allowed plenty of solo space for all. The band enjoyed great success while touring in the States and abroad. By early 1975, after increasingly frequent turnovers, death or defection had taken the original members, only the leaders were left, and the band finally folded. Fortunately the band made more than a few memorable recordings, some of which are still available.
