Saxman Sonny
Lewis is a legendary jazz musician who almost slipped away into history. His
career was launched in Paris in 1961, sitting in with Bud Powell, and spanned
the next three decades. At home in any setting, he performed with Art Blakey,
Barry White, poet William S. Burroughs, and classical composer Terry Riley, and
played on a wide range of recordings, including three gold albums with The
Whispers. However, until now, there have been no dedicated jazz releases
focused on his astounding talent.
Discovered among the musician's personal collection of
tapes, the archival recording used to produce this new release, "Fillmore
Street Live", was taken from the master recording of a major street fair
in San Francisco in 1998. Cars and buses were rerouted away from the busy
intersection of Fillmore and California streets, where a large crowd assembled
to hear the Sonny Lewis Quartet celebrate the strong jazz tradition of the
Fillmore Street neighborhood on the 4th of July.
Featuring Sonny Lewis on flute and tenor sax, "Fillmore
Street Live" is a straight-ahead tour-de-force, featuring classic jazz
standards from Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck. Latin rhythms are explored as
well—the album opens with Sonny on flute, playing a song from the film Black
Orpheus, and concludes with the group bringing the crowd to its feet for a
rollicking rendition of St. Thomas. The Sonny Lewis Quartet features Percy
Scott, keys; Harley White, Sr., bass; and Paul Smith, drums; with each musician
making significant contributions.
"Fillmore Street Live" is a copyrighted work
published by Sonoma Coast Records. Dedicated to bringing quality music back
into the music industry, the solar-powered independent label brings listeners
an astonishing mix of superb archival and newly-recorded psychedelic rock,
jazz, and blues releases. For information on pianist Rob Catterton's new album,
"Live in the Redwoods – A Grand Piano tribute to the Grateful Dead,"
visit robcatterton.com. For more information about Sonny Lewis, please visit
sonnylewis.com for photos, bio, and news on upcoming releases.
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