Vic Lewis

Although not a major musician himself, Vic Lewis was an important force in British jazz beginning in the 1930s, leading bands covered a wide range of styles. A rhythm guitarist (he started when he was three) and an occasional cornetist and trombonist in his early days, Lewis gained early experience leading a band that included the teenage <a href="spotify:artist:7uUBTiZ2u5b40vymlFmXrn">George Shearing</a>. When he first visited the U.S. in 1938, he led a couple of Dixieland-oriented recording sessions that included <a href="spotify:artist:5Wx29PEKBUtWOiTA3kOOXq">Bobby Hackett</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1YaB5mqH5zlJqvJaKIsBrS">Eddie Condon</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:61EY7PIU7wT3t3766ZTvqB">Pee Wee Russell</a>. Lewis served in the RAF during 1941-1944 but was still able to record as a rhythm guitarist with Buddy Featherstonhaugh and led a series of recorded jam sessions during 1944-1945. Lewis worked with <a href="spotify:artist:6AfbDYupHV5e6nse9W6tKG">Stéphane Grappelli</a> (1944-1945) and <a href="spotify:artist:4v8G8fM1P0Nrn9nZZW0ziT">Ted Heath</a>, and had a Dixieland band before organizing his first big band in 1946. Originally a swing group, by 1947 Lewis' orchestra was strongly influenced by <a href="spotify:artist:27hSR8e34ZM5vj5fUFixyb">Stan Kenton</a>; in fact, through the years <a href="spotify:artist:27hSR8e34ZM5vj5fUFixyb">Kenton</a> gave the British bandleader copies of many of his orchestra's arrangements including charts (sometimes not previously recorded) by <a href="spotify:artist:6NLW1QaFwxrhGeuBehGXUj">Pete Rugolo</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6l40OFJhuTbHQ9V12evc9K">Gerry Mulligan</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:0Ouo7BAL9KvlpA8YcR7JFI">Bill Holman</a>, among others. Billed as "The Music of Tomorrow by the Band of Today," <a href="spotify:artist:7vQLW6ivfoiTkm0q2YYOYo">the Vic Lewis Orchestra</a> also often featured the charts of the ensemble's pianist, <a href="spotify:artist:6kUZnkyuIOARpNvd39n3gN">Ken Thorne</a>. Lewis visited the U.S. with his band during a tour in 1956-1957 and again during 1958-1959. The orchestra recorded during the 1947-1956 period for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Parlophone%22">Parlophone</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Esquire%22">Esquire</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Decca%22">Decca</a>, and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Philips%22">Philips</a> and the big band (although a bit derivative) was considered one of England's best. Although he retired from music for a time in 1959, Lewis subsequently led occasional bands, made occasional recordings (including a 1989 session featuring <a href="spotify:artist:4SaqsRSzDcdnl4pSeygIMR">the West Coast All-Stars</a> playing <a href="spotify:artist:0Ouo7BAL9KvlpA8YcR7JFI">Bill Holman</a> arrangements and several other dates in the 1990s for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Candid%22">Candid</a>), and acted as a propagandist for jazz in general. Vic Lewis died in London on February 9, 2009 at the age of 89. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi