Mel Lewis

E608671

Mel Lewis was an influential American jazz drummer and bandleader best known for co-leading the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, a cornerstone of modern big band jazz.

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Statements (44)

Predicate Object
instanceOf American musician
bandleader
human
jazz drummer
activeYearsEnd 1990
activeYearsStart 1940s
associatedAct Thad Jones NERFINISHED
awardReceived Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album NERFINISHED
birthName Melvin Sokoloff NERFINISHED
causeOfDeath melanoma
coLeaderOf Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra NERFINISHED
countryOfCitizenship United States of America
dateOfBirth 1929-05-10
dateOfDeath 1990-02-02
ethnicOrigin Jewish-American
fieldOfWork big band arranging and performance
genre big band jazz
jazz
post-bop
influenced modern big band drumming
influencedBy big band drummers of the swing era
instrument drum set
knownFor subtle, ensemble-oriented drumming style
use of dark, complex cymbal sounds
legacy helped define sound of modern big band jazz in the late 20th century
memberOf Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra NERFINISHED
name Mel Lewis NERFINISHED
notableFor co-leading the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra
notableWork Central Park North (with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra) NERFINISHED
Live at the Village Vanguard (with Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra) NERFINISHED
occupation bandleader
drummer
performedAt Village Vanguard, New York City NERFINISHED
placeOfBirth Buffalo, New York, United States NERFINISHED
placeOfDeath New York City
surface form: New York City, New York, United States
recordLabel Blue Note Records
Fantasy Records NERFINISHED
Solid State Records NERFINISHED
regularEngagement Monday night big band at the Village Vanguard
residence New York City
surface form: New York City, New York, United States
style small-group-inspired big band drumming
teacherOf various younger jazz drummers
usedInstrumentBrand Gretsch drums NERFINISHED
Istanbul cymbals NERFINISHED

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Joe Williams associatedAct Mel Lewis
Sokoloff alsoKnownAs Mel Lewis
subject surface form: Melvin Sokoloff