Lewis Nash
Encyclopedia
Lewis Nash is an American
jazz
drummer
. According to Modern Drummer
magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz. and has played on over 400 records by musicians, earning him the honor of being named Jazz's Most Valuable Player by the magazine in it's May, 2009 issue.
Nash is noted for his adaptability to a vast array of genre
s, as evidenced by his performances with such different musicians as Tommy Flanagan, Melissa Manchester
, Diana Krall
, and George Michael
.
Arizona
, where he was encouraged by his high school
band teacher to develop his interests as a jazz musician. By the age of 18, Nash had regular work with visiting musicians to Phoenix. At age 22, when Betty Carter
invited him to relocate to New York City and join her backing band
, he accepted. Nash became a highly in-demand sideman
during this period, and since his tenure with Carter, has recorded and toured with a vast array of highly regarded jazz musicians.
, Sonny Stitt
, Oscar Peterson
, Sonny Rollins
, Ray Brown
, Gerald Wilson
, Horace Silver
, Ron Carter
, Hank Jones
, Benny Carter
, Milt Jackson
, Art Farmer
, McCoy Tyner
, Wynton Marsalis
, Clark Terry
, Joe Williams
, Nancy Wilson
, Kenny Burrell
, Jimmy Heath
, and John Lewis
. In addition, he has recorded with Willie Nelson
, Natalie Cole
, Bette Midler
and Linda Ronstadt
.
Nash has made 4 recordings as bandleader
: Rhythm is My Business (1989), It Don't Mean A Thing (2003 Japanese import) and Stompin' At The Savoy (2005 Japanese import) and Lewis Nash and the Bebop All-Stars featuring Frank Wess (2008 Japanese Import).
In 2008, Nash became part of The Blue Note 7
, a septet
formed that year in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records
. The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled Mosaic
, which was released in 2009 on Blue Note Records
/EMI
, and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January through April 2009.http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=23494 The group plays the music of Blue Note Records from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and Renee Rosnes
.
With The Blue Note 7
With Classical Jazz Quartet
With Joe Lovano
With David "Fathead" Newman
With Don Pullen
With Clark Terry
With McCoy Tyner
With Roni Ben-Hur
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. According to Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer
Modern Drummer is a monthly publication targeting the interests of on drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, and columns offering advice on technique, as well as information for the general public...
magazine, Nash has one of the longest discographies in jazz. and has played on over 400 records by musicians, earning him the honor of being named Jazz's Most Valuable Player by the magazine in it's May, 2009 issue.
Nash is noted for his adaptability to a vast array of genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s, as evidenced by his performances with such different musicians as Tommy Flanagan, Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Beginning in the 1970s, she has recorded generally in the adult contemporary genre. She has also appeared as an actress on television, in films, and on stage....
, Diana Krall
Diana Krall
Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
, and George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
.
Early years
Nash grew up in PhoenixPhoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, where he was encouraged by his high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
band teacher to develop his interests as a jazz musician. By the age of 18, Nash had regular work with visiting musicians to Phoenix. At age 22, when Betty Carter
Betty Carter
Betty Carter was an American jazz singer renowned for her improvisational technique and idiosyncratic vocal style...
invited him to relocate to New York City and join her backing band
Backup band
A backing band or backup band is a musical ensemble that accompanies an artist at a live performance or on a recording. This can either be an established, long-standing group that has little or no change in membership, or it may be an ad hoc group assembled for a single show or a single recording...
, he accepted. Nash became a highly in-demand sideman
Sideman
A sideman is a professional musician who is hired to perform or record with a group of which he or she is not a regular member. They often tour with solo acts as well as bands and jazz ensembles. Sidemen are generally required to be adaptable to many different styles of music, and so able to fit...
during this period, and since his tenure with Carter, has recorded and toured with a vast array of highly regarded jazz musicians.
Collaborations with other musicians (incomplete)
Dizzy GillespieDizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Sonny Stitt
Sonny Stitt
Edward "Sonny" Stitt was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. He was also one of the best-documented saxophonists of his generation, recording over 100 albums in his lifetime...
, Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Emmanuel Peterson was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career...
, Sonny Rollins
Sonny Rollins
Theodore Walter "Sonny" Rollins is a Grammy-winning American jazz tenor saxophonist. Rollins is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. A number of his compositions, including "St...
, Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
, Gerald Wilson
Gerald Wilson
Gerald Stanley Wilson is an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer/arranger, 8 time Grammy nominee, and educator. He has been based in Los Angeles since the early 1940s....
, Horace Silver
Horace Silver
Horace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
, Ron Carter
Ron Carter
Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
, Hank Jones
Hank Jones
Henry "Hank" Jones was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, arranger, and composer. Critics and musicians described Jones as eloquent, lyrical, and impeccable. In 1989, The National Endowment for the Arts honored him with the NEA Jazz Masters Award...
, Benny Carter
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. He was a major figure in jazz from the 1930s to the 1990s, and was recognized as such by other jazz musicians who called him King...
, Milt Jackson
Milt Jackson
Milton "Bags" Jackson was an American jazz vibraphonist, usually thought of as a bebop player, although he performed in several jazz idioms...
, Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
, Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
, Joe Williams
Joe Williams (jazz singer)
Joe Williams was a well-known jazz vocalist, a baritone singing a mixture of blues, ballads, popular songs, and jazz standards.-Early life:...
, Nancy Wilson
Nancy Wilson (singer)
Nancy Wilson is an American singer with more than 70 albums, and three Grammy Awards. She has been labeled a singer of blues, jazz, cabaret and pop; a "consummate actress"; and "the complete entertainer." The title she prefers, however, is song stylist...
, Kenny Burrell
Kenny Burrell
Kenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
, Jimmy Heath
Jimmy Heath
James Edward Heath , nicknamed Little Bird, is an American jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He is the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath.-Biography:...
, and John Lewis
John Lewis (pianist)
John Aaron Lewis was an American jazz pianist and composer best known as the musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet.- Early life:...
. In addition, he has recorded with Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
, Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
, Bette Midler
Bette Midler
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, and comedian, also known by her informal stage name, The Divine Miss M. She became famous as a cabaret and concert headliner, and went on to star in successful and acclaimed films such as The Rose, Ruthless People, Beaches, and For The Boys...
and Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
.
Nash has made 4 recordings as bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
: Rhythm is My Business (1989), It Don't Mean A Thing (2003 Japanese import) and Stompin' At The Savoy (2005 Japanese import) and Lewis Nash and the Bebop All-Stars featuring Frank Wess (2008 Japanese Import).
In 2008, Nash became part of The Blue Note 7
The Blue Note 7
The Blue Note 7 are a jazz septet formed in 2008 in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group consists of Peter Bernstein , Bill Charlap , Ravi Coltrane , Lewis Nash , Nicholas Payton , Peter Washington , and Steve Wilson .The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled Mosaic,...
, a septet
Septet
A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry....
formed that year in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
. The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled Mosaic
Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records
Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records is the 2009 debut album by The Blue Note 7.-Overview:The Blue Note 7 was formed in 2008 in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records...
, which was released in 2009 on Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, and toured the United States in promotion of the album from January through April 2009.http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=23494 The group plays the music of Blue Note Records from various artists, with arrangements by members of the band and Renee Rosnes
Renee Rosnes
Irene Louise Rosnes , professionally known as Renee Rosnes , is a pianist, composer and arranger in the hard bop and post-bop mediums.-Biography:...
.
As leader
- Rhythm is My Business (1989)
- It Don't Mean A Thing (2003 Japanese import)
- Stompin' At The Savoy (2005 Japanese import)
As sideman
With Toshiko AkiyoshiToshiko Akiyoshi
is a Japanese American jazz pianist, composer/arranger and bandleader. Among a very few successful female instrumentalists of her generation in jazz, she is also recognized as a major figure in jazz composition. She has received 14 Grammy nominations, and she was the first woman to win the Best...
- Four Seasons (1990)
- Remembering Bud: Cleopatra's DreamRemembering Bud: Cleopatra's DreamRemembering Bud: Cleopatra's Dream is a jazz trio album recorded by pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi in 1990 and released on the Nippon Crown record label in Japan and on the Evidence label in the USA.-Track listing:...
(1990) - Chic Lady (1991)
- HopeHope (Toshiko Akiyoshi album)Hope is a jazz album by pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi. It was recorded by Nippon Crown Records in December, 2005 and released in 2006. A CD single "Hope " was also released by Nippon Crown that includes the title track version included here and two new vocal versions, one in Japanese and one in...
(2005)
With The Blue Note 7
The Blue Note 7
The Blue Note 7 are a jazz septet formed in 2008 in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records. The group consists of Peter Bernstein , Bill Charlap , Ravi Coltrane , Lewis Nash , Nicholas Payton , Peter Washington , and Steve Wilson .The group recorded an album in 2008, entitled Mosaic,...
- Mosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note RecordsMosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note RecordsMosaic: A Celebration of Blue Note Records is the 2009 debut album by The Blue Note 7.-Overview:The Blue Note 7 was formed in 2008 in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records...
(Blue Note Records/EMI, 2009)
With Classical Jazz Quartet
Classical Jazz Quartet
The Classical Jazz Quartet is a jazz quartet established in the 2000s. It consists of mainstream jazz performers playing jazz interpretations of classical music repertoire.Bob Belden has written arrangements for the group.-Discography:...
- Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker (2001, Vertical Jazz) (deleted)
- The Classical Jazz Quartet Plays Bach (Vertical Jazz, 2002)
- The Classical Jazz Quartet Play Rachmaninov (May 16, 2006, Kind of Blue)
- The Classical Jazz Quartet Play Tchaikovsky (September 19, 2006)
- Christmas (2006)
With Joe Lovano
Joe Lovano
Joseph Salvatore "Joe" Lovano is a post bop jazz saxophonist, alto clarinetist, flautist, and drummer. Since the late 1980s, Lovano has been one of the world's premiere tenor saxophone players, earning a Grammy award and several nods on Down Beat magazine's critics' and readers' polls...
- Tenor LegacyTenor LegacyTenor Legacy is an album by the American jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano recorded in 1993 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4 stars stating "Lovano has created a set with a great deal of variety and some surprising moments".-Track...
(Blue Note, 1993) - Quartets: Live at the Village VanguardQuartets: Live at the Village VanguardQuartets: Live at the Village Vanguard is a live album by the American jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1994 and 1995 and released on the Blue Note label.-Reception:...
(Blue Note, 1995)
With David "Fathead" Newman
- Mr. Gentle Mr. Cool : A Tribute To Duke Ellington (1994, Kokopelli RecordsKokopelli RecordsKokopelli Records was a record label established by jazz flautist Herbie Mann during the 1990s. Mann had previously established Embryo Records during his tenure at Atlantic Records.-Discography:*1994: Deep Pocket - Herbie Mann...
)
With Don Pullen
Don Pullen
Don Pullen was an American jazz pianist and organist. Pullen developed a strikingly individual style throughout his career. He composed masterworks ranging from blues to bebop and modern jazz...
- Random ThoughtsRandom Thoughts (Don Pullen album)Random Thoughts is an album by American jazz pianist Don Pullen recorded in 1990 for the Blue Note label.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Richard S. Ginell awarded the album 4½ stars stating "As bent upon pianistic mayhem as Don Pullen often seemed, this was one of his more user-friendly discs,...
(Blue Note, 1990)
With Clark Terry
Clark Terry
Clark Terry is an American swing and bop trumpeter, a pioneer of the fluegelhorn in jazz, educator, NEA Jazz Masters inductee, and recipient of the 2010 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award...
- Portraits (1989) - with Don FriedmanDon FriedmanDonald Ernest Friedman , better known as Don Friedman, is a jazz pianist. On the West Coast, he performed with Dexter Gordon, Chet Baker, Buddy DeFranco and Ornette Coleman, among others, before moving to New York...
(p), Victor GaskinVictor GaskinRoderick Victor Gaskin, born The Bronx, New York, November 23, 1934 is a jazz bassist.Gaskin moved to Los Angeles in 1962 and started playing with Paul Horn and Red Mitchell before going on to become one of many bass players for the Jazz Crusaders...
(b)
With McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.-Early life:...
- IlluminationsIlluminations (McCoy Tyner album)Illuminations is a piano album by McCoy Tyner released on the Telarc label in 2004. It was recorded in November 2003 and features performance by Tyner with Gary Bartz, Terence Blanchard, Christian McBride, and Lewis Nash...
(2004)
With Roni Ben-Hur
Roni Ben-Hur
Roni Ben-Hur is a Tunisian-Israeli bebop jazz guitarist who emigrated to the United States in 1985. His third CD, Anna's Dance, was rated by The Village Voice as one of the best jazz CDs of 2001...
- Fortuna (2008)