George Lewis (1900–1968) remains among the most influential and widely imitated of all traditional jazz musicians. Born Joseph Louis Francois Zenon in New Orleans' French Quarter, Lewis was a pioneering, self-taught clarinetist whose melodic improvisations became emblematic of traditional New Orleans jazz. His musical career began in the early 1920s, playing with Buddy Petit, Henry "Red" Allen, the Eureka Brass Band, the Olympia Orchestra, and his own ensemble. Though largely unknown outside the city for decades, Lewis achieved wider recognition after the 1940s, and for the last two decades of his life he toured the United States and many other countries sharing his New Orleans jazz with the world.
This 1953 recording captures the George Lewis Ragtime Band playing a selection of tunes hand-picked by Lewis that showcase their classic New Orleans sound. The ensemble featured a rich lineup of New Orleans legends, including Avery "Kid" Howard on trumpet, Jim Robinson on trombone, Alton Purnell on piano, and Lawrence Marrero on banjo — musicians whose collective mastery gives the record its warm, rollicking, deeply human character. Lewis's style was marked by rhythmic arpeggios, scale fragments, and inventive melodic phrases, all driven by his rich "singing" tone and genuine deep expression.
In 1950, Lewis received national media exposure through a feature in Look magazine, which included photographs taken by a young Stanley Kubrick depicting Lewis and his Ragtime Band in performance and rehearsal settings in New Orleans. In 1952, he took his band to San Francisco for a residency at the Hangover Club, then began an acclaimed tour around the United States, including a stop at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles to record his ragtime band. His recordings reached the UK in the late 1940s and early 1950s and influenced clarinetists Monty Sunshine and Acker Bilk, making Lewis a defining force in the traditional jazz revival on both sides of the Atlantic. For anyone seeking the authentic, unvarnished spirit of New Orleans jazz, the George Lewis Ragtime Jazz Band recordings stand as an essential and timeless document.
George Lewis (1900–1968) remains among the most influential and widely imitated of all traditional jazz musicians. Born Joseph Louis Francois Zenon in New Orleans' French Quarter, Lewis was a pioneering, self-taught clarinetist whose melodic improvisations became emblematic of traditional New Orleans jazz. His musical career began in the early 1920s, playing with Buddy Petit, Henry "Red" Allen, the Eureka Brass Band, the Olympia Orchestra, and his own ensemble. Though largely unknown outside the city for decades, Lewis achieved wider recognition after the 1940s, and for the last two decades of his life he toured the United States and many other countries sharing his New Orleans jazz with the world.
This 1953 recording captures the George Lewis Ragtime Band playing a selection of tunes hand-picked by Lewis that showcase their classic New Orleans sound. The ensemble featured a rich lineup of New Orleans legends, including Avery "Kid" Howard on trumpet, Jim Robinson on trombone, Alton Purnell on piano, and Lawrence Marrero on banjo — musicians whose collective mastery gives the record its warm, rollicking, deeply human character. Lewis's style was marked by rhythmic arpeggios, scale fragments, and inventive melodic phrases, all driven by his rich "singing" tone and genuine deep expression.
In 1950, Lewis received national media exposure through a feature in Look magazine, which included photographs taken by a young Stanley Kubrick depicting Lewis and his Ragtime Band in performance and rehearsal settings in New Orleans. In 1952, he took his band to San Francisco for a residency at the Hangover Club, then began an acclaimed tour around the United States, including a stop at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles to record his ragtime band. His recordings reached the UK in the late 1940s and early 1950s and influenced clarinetists Monty Sunshine and Acker Bilk, making Lewis a defining force in the traditional jazz revival on both sides of the Atlantic. For anyone seeking the authentic, unvarnished spirit of New Orleans jazz, the George Lewis Ragtime Jazz Band recordings stand as an essential and timeless document.
