Victor Lewis by Ken Weiss
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Eric Nemeyer’s WWW.JAZZINSIDEMAGAZINE.COM April-May 2018 JAZZ HISTORY FEATURE ArtArt Blakey,Blakey, PartPart 55 Interviews ManuelManuel ValeraValera Jazz Standard, April 11 Javon Javon JackosnJackosn Dizzy’s Club, May 14 PHOTOs HoustonHouston PersonPerson Jazz Standard, April 19--22 KennyKenny GarrettGarrett Blue Note, April 19--22 FrankFrank MorganMorgan VictorVictor Comprehensive DirectoryDirectory of NY ClubS, ConcertS LewisLewis EffortEffort && RewardReward Spectacular Jazz Gifts - Go To www.JazzMusicDeals.com To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 December 2015 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 1 COVER-2-JI-15-12.pub Wednesday, December 09, 2015 15:43 page 1 MagentaYellowBlacCyank To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 April-May 2018 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 1 Eric Nemeyer’s Jazz Inside Magazine ISSN: 2150-3419 (print) • ISSN 2150-3427 (online) April-May 2018 – Volume 9, Number 2 Cover Photo and photo at right of Victor Lewis by Ken Weiss Publisher: Eric Nemeyer Editor: Wendi Li Marketing Director: Cheryl Powers Advertising Sales & Marketing: Eric Nemeyer Circulation: Susan Brodsky Photo Editor: Joe Patitucci Layout and Design: Gail Gentry Contributing Artists: Shelly Rhodes Contributing Photographers: Eric Nemeyer, Ken Weiss Contributing Writers: John Alexander, John R. 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Violators may be subject to criminal penalties Website: www.jazzinsidemagazine.com uting writers are their own and do not necessarily express the opinions of Jazz Inside, and liability for substantial monetary damages, including statutory damages up to Eric Nemeyer Corporation or its affiliates. $50,000 per infringement, costs and attorneys fees. CONTENTS 4 Victor Lewis by Ken Weiss INTERVIEWSINTERVIEWS PHOTOS CLUBS, CONCERTS, EVENTS Jazz History FEATURE 24 Manuel Valera 12 Houston Person 13 Calendar of Events 30 Art Blakey, Part 5 by John R. Barrett 26 Javon Jackson 29 Frank Morgan 18 Clubs & Venue Listings 36 Kenny Garrett Visit these websites: JazzStandard.com Jazz.org JJBabbitt.com PAY ONLY FOR RESULTS MaxwellDrums.com LIKE US PUBLICITY! www.facebook.com/ JazzInsideMedia Get Hundreds Of Media Placements — ONLINE — Major Network Media & FOLLOW US Authority Sites & OFFLINE — Distribution To 1000’s of Print & Broadcast www.twitter.com/ Networks To Promote Your Music, Products & Performances In As Little As JazzInsideMag 24 Hours To Generate Traffic, Sales & Expanded Media Coverage! WATCH US www.PressToRelease.com | MusicPressReleaseDistribution.com | 215-600-1733 www.youtube.com/ JazzInsideMedia 2 April-May 2018 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 April-May 2018 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 3 VictorVictor LewisLewis Feature EffortEffort && RewardReward InterviewInterview && PhotosPhotos byby KenKen WeissWeiss 4 April-May 2018 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 Concert Halls, Festivals, Clubs, Promoters PAYPAY ONLYONLY FORFOR RESULTSRESULTS CONCERTCONCERT && EVENTEVENT MARKETING!MARKETING! Fill The House In Hours For Your Next Performance LightningLightning Fast,Fast, WayWay BetterBetter ResultsResults && FarFar LessLess ExpensiveExpensive ThanThan DirectDirect--Mail,Mail, Print,Print, RadioRadio && TVTV AdsAds——ComprehensiveComprehensive Analytics!Analytics! CALL: 215-600-1850 www.SellMoreTicketsFast.com To Advertise CALL: 215-887-8880 April-May 2018 Jazz Inside Magazine www.JazzInsideMagazine.com 5 JI: After initially studying cello and then clas- sical piano how did you get the calling to play INTERVIEWINTERVIEW drums? VL: Yes, that’s a sequence that deals with first gravitation and puberty. The first instru- Victor Lewis ment I gravitated towards, and to this day I still love it but I was too small, was the acoustic Effort & Reward bass. That’s how I ended up with the cello. I have a photo of me at five-years-old standing there on Christmas day with a cello that was Interview and photo by Ken Weiss tricking them into learning about effort and my bass that Santa had brought me. Propor- reward. He’d ask us if there was an instrument tionately it worked. So they sent me to take Victor Lewis (b. May 20, 1950) moved on from that we liked from the radio and when my lessons and the first thing the teacher made me his Omaha, Nebraska roots to become one of brother said horn, he went out and got an alto do was pull out the bow and start playing arco. jazz’s most in demand drummers. He’s toured sax for my brother. A few days went by and No, that wasn’t what I wanted to do, I wanted and recorded with Art Farmer, J.J. Johnson, my brother went to him and said, “Daddy, the to get to pizzicato like the walking jazz bass Grover Washington Jr., Bobby Hutcherson, horn doesn’t play!” [Laughs] So my father players. I studied it about a year or two but was Kenny Barron, Mike Stern, John Abercrombie, said, “Well, would you like to take a lesson?” disillusioned because I never got to the pizzica- Carla Bley, James Carter, Eddie “Lockjaw” “Oh, well maybe I should daddy. Would that to thing. I took classical piano from seven to Davis, Dexter Gordon, Oliver Lake, Carmen help the horn play better?” And so he went to a eleven and then at eleven puberty started to Lundy, David Murray, David Sanborn, Antho- teacher and as time went by, he got better at it kick in and all of a sudden it wasn’t manly ny Braxton and Gary Bartz, while spending and it taught him about life. If you put the time enough for me to be a brother taking classical significant time in the bands of Woody Shaw in, you’ll get better. When I chose to be a mu- piano lesson. I mean that’s all bull but now I and Stan Getz, as well as serving a co-leader sician I had an idea of what it would be like. In thank God that I took classical piano lessons. in the Bobby Watson & Horizon band that was my early life it was a fantasized dream based Then came the Fourth of July Parade that they very popular in the late ‘80s-into the ‘90s. on what I saw. My family worked day jobs and used to have in the black neighborhood of Lewis is also a highly skilled composer with then went and played at night. So that set me Omaha and I saw this drum corp in the parade many sterling compositions under his name. In up for an all-day/all-night work ethic. My fa- – Boom! Talk about a calling. I got to junior person, he’s extremely personable and animat- ther had two day jobs before he went to his gig high and after I convinced my folks, they rent- ed, and he’s renowned for his storytelling. Jazz at night. He busted his fanny so that I could go ed a snare drum and a pair of sticks for me. I Inside Magazine caught up with him on De- to college during the “free love” era! But, alt- wanted to be in the school band and play cember 30, 2017 in his Philadelphia hotel hough he wanted to teach us [through music], drums so I went to the band director but he room prior to performing with Kurt Rosenwin- he didn’t want any of us to pursue a career in said, “We’ve got too many drummers, what we kel’s band later that night at Chris’ Jazz Café. music. He said, “Yeah, all black people play need is French horn players.” So I played sports and music.” He was trying to look down French horn in junior high. I just wanted to be Jazz Inside Magazine: You grew up in a mu- the line at the opportunities that African Amer- in the band. Christmas came, my second year in junior high, and I got my first drum set. I lobbied hard for that and I’m bonkers, I’ve got “If you put the time in, you’ll get better. my first drum set and I had no idea of how to put it together.