Mel Lewis

Mel Lewis
Mel Lewis performing in 1978
Background information
Birth name	Melvin Sokoloff
Born	(1929-05-10)May 10, 1929 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died	February 2, 1990(1990-02-02) (aged 60) New York City
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1954–1990
Labels	Atlantic, Blue Note, VSOP, Solid State, Nimbus, Telarc, A&M, Philadelphia International
Associated acts	The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman

Mel Lewis (May 10, 1929 – February 2, 1990) was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author. He received fourteen Grammy Award nominations.

Lewis was born Melvin Sokoloff in Buffalo, New York, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents Samuel and Mildred Sokoloff. He started playing professionally as a teen, eventually joining Stan Kenton in 1954. His musical career brought him to Los Angeles in 1957 and New York City in 1963.

In 1966 in New York, he teamed up with Thad Jones to lead the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. The group started as informal jam sessions with the top studio and jazz musicians of the city, but eventually began performing regularly on Monday nights at the famed venue, the Village Vanguard. In 1979, the band won a Grammy for their album Live in Munich. Like all of the musicians in the band, it was only a sideline. In 1976, he released an album titled Mel Lewis and Friends that featured him leading a smaller sextet that allowed freedom and improvisation.

The band became the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, but when Jones moved to Denmark in 1978, it became known as Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra. Lewis continued to lead the band, recording and performing every Monday night at the Village Vanguard until shortly before his death from cancer at age 60. The band still performs on most Monday nights at the Village Vanguard; today it's known as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and has released several CDs.

Lewis's cymbal work was considered unique among many musicians. Of his style, drummer Buddy Rich had remarked: "Mel Lewis doesn't sound like anybody except himself". Lewis insisted on playing genuine Turkish-made cymbals, switching from the Zildjian brand later in his career to the Istanbul brand. His setup included a 21-inch ride on his right, a 19-inch crash-ride on his left, and his signature sound, a 22-inch swish "knocker" with rivets on his far right. The rather lightweight cymbals exuded a dark, overtone-rich sound. Lewis' wood-shell drums were considered warm and rich in their sound. He almost exclusively played Gretsch drums, although in later years, played Slingerland drums equipped with natural calfskin top heads. Regular mylar heads were used on the bottom. Lewis described a playing philosophy of not "pushing or pulling" but "supporting". "If you watch me, it doesn't look like I'm doing much", he remarked in an interview.