Daily Dose Of Jazz…
ELEW was born Eric Robert Lewis on May 13, 1973 in Camden, New Jersey where he studied piano as a child. Graduating from Overbrook High School in 1991, he received a full merit scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. He graduated on the Dean’s List in 1995, then began touring.
Lewis began his career as a jazz purist, playing as a sideman for jazz artists like Wynton Marsalis, Cassandra Wilson, Elvin Jones, Jon Hendricks, and Roy Hargrove as well as performing as a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. Eventually becoming interested in rock music he embarked on a solo career as a crossover musician, quickly gaining recognition for his instrumental Rockjazz piano covers of mainstream rock hits like The Rolling Stones’ Paint It, Black and The Killers’ Mr. Brightside. He released his debut album of instrumental covers, titled ELEW Rockjazz Vol. 1, on his own label, Ninjazz Entertainment, in 2010.
Lewis became disillusioned with the jazz world after a solo record deal failed to materialize and struck out on his own to find success. It was around this time that he heard his first rock album, Linkin Park’s Meteora, which made a profound impression on his musical sensibilities. Taking the stage name ELEW, he adjusted his stage presence accordingly, growing an afro and adopting a distinctive style of dress, wearing armored vambraces over tailored suits. Discarding his piano bench for standing, he reached inside to grab the strings and beat on its wooden case like a percussion instrument.
Mainstream recognition came when he played a cover of Evanescence’s Going Under and an original composition, and was a featured speaker at the Long Beach TED Conference in 2009. He drew the interest of fashion designer Donna Karan, for whom he composed an original piece inspired by her fall 2009 collection and at her next New York City fashion show. That led to an invite by White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers to play in the East Room for President Obama and the First Lady.
Pianist Eric Lewis, popularley known as ELEW, continues his journey of performing, composing, recording and touring.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ronnie Foster was born in Buffalo, New York on May 12, 1950. Attracted to music at the age of four, he attended Public School 8, Woodlawn Jr. High for a year, McKinley Vocational High School for two years, and then spent his final year at Lafayette High School. The only formal musical instruction he received was a month of accordion lessons. Taking music more seriously from his early teens, he had his first professional gig aged fifteen, playing in a strip club.
He initially performed with other local musicians. Moving to New York City with his own band, he acquired a publishing company. Foster performed as a sideman with a wide range of musicians, frequently working with guitarist George Benson, including playing on the guitarist’s album Breezin’.
Ronnie has played organ with Grant Green, Grover Washington, Jr., Stanley Turrentine, Roberta Flack, Earl Klugh, Harvey Mason, Jimmy Smith, and Stevie Wonder.
He is also a record producer and his song Mystic Brew was sampled in Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest and in J. Cole’s song Forbidden Fruit, where it was reversed, pitched, and slowed down in the song Neighbors as well as the instrumental of Forbidden Fruit.
Funk and soul jazz organist Ronnie Foster continues to perform, record, tour and produce.
Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Ernest “EC3 Coleman III was born a second generation musician in Naples, Italy on February 9, 1963 to Ernest and Rebecca Coleman. His father, Ernest Jr. was a jazz musician who played tenor saxophone and was a great arranger and composer.
He studied at the Naval Conservatory of Music in Norfolk, Virginia and was awarded a special honor for being the youngest student to graduate from this conservatory. Moving to Los Angeles, California after his tour with the Navy Band, EC began his true musical quest performing for Guys & Dolls, Ain’t Misbehavin, and A Chorus Line.
Getting the call to work with Loretta Holloway in Las Vegas, Nevada he opened for Jay Leno, Bill Cosby, David Brenner, Yakov Smirnoff, Whoopi Goldberg, Don Rickles and many many more. Coleman took over as Loretta’s musical director and traveled around the world. For twelve years.
He eventually got called to play with jazz bassist Al McKibbon. Excited to get the call, he auditioned and got booked for The Bourbon Street Review show. For three years this was his training ground. Al being like a second father to him, they lived together for many years and this was where he attained most of his great knowledge of music.
When the show closed Billy Higgins was there to offer EC work with saxophonist Azar Lawrence and for the next year and a half they were on the road. A move to Las Vegas, Nevada saw him working with Frank Sinatra’s pianist and conductor Vincent Falcone. Meeting jazz pianist Kevin Toney led him to play with Kevin bassist Brad Bobo.
He went on to work with Kenny Burrell, Russell Malone, Lorendo Alameida, Lorez Alexandria, John Clayton, George Cables, Herman Riley, Charlie Owens, Frank Sinatra, Vic Damone, Diahann Carroll, Pudgy, and the orchestras of Caesar Palace, Harrah’s Tahoe and Reno, and The Las Vegas Symphony.
Since then he embarked on a solo career as a leader, recording eight albums and producing thirteen records for Misha, Wendy C, Wendy B, Rayshun Lamarr, Zac Williams, Fabian, and Troy “Sol” Edler.
Drummer, producer and bandleader Ernest “EC3” Coleman continues to expand the language of his musical talent.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Lowell Dwight Dickerson was born in Los Angeles, California on December 26, 1944 and grew up in the city where his influences were Horace Silver, McCoy Tyner, Kenny Barron, and Bud Powell, among others. He became active on the local jazz scene in the 1960s.
In the early Sevenites he appeared on the Chicago, Illinois tenor titan Gene Ammons’ Free Again album on Prestige, and the latter part of the decade found him being featured on a few LPs by baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola. In the 1980s Dickerson started recording as a leader when he provided his debut album, Sooner or Later, for Discovery. In 1992,
Dickerson recorded Dwight’s Rights which features Red Holloway on tenor sax for the small Night Life label. He has played as a sideman in the 1990s with saxman Rickey Woodard, singer Michael Martin and Albert “Tootie” Heath. The early 2000s saw him featured on singer David Coss’ Simple Life album.
Pianist Dwight Dickerson, who occasionally sings and plays a variety of genres ranging from hard bop, funk and soul jazz, to modal post-bop, continues to perform and record at 80.
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Daily Dose Of Jazz…
Tom Archia was born Ernest Alvin Archia, Jr. on November 26, 1919 in Groveton, Texas, and moved with his family as a child to Rockdale and then Baytown, near Houston, Texas. He played saxophone in the Wheatley High School orchestra. Known during childhood as Sonny, but took the name Tom when he decided that neither his first or middle names were appropriate for a musician.
After graduating from Prairie View A&M University in 1939, he joined Milt Larkin’s band which included Eddie Vinson, Arnett Cobb, and Illinois Jacquet in the reed section and Cedric Haywood as pianist and arranger. 1942 saw Archia arrived in Chicago, Illinois with Larkin for a nine-month residency backing T-Bone Walker at the Rhumboogie Club.
The following year he joined the Roy Eldridge orchestra alongside Ike Quebec, Ted Sturgis, and Doc West that recorded in Chicago for the Brunswick label. He moved to the Rhumboogie Dream Band until mid 1944. Unfortunately he frequently disrupted band discipline and was fired by Marl Young who took over as bandleader.
In 1945 Tom went to Los Angeles, California and joined Howard McGhee’s combo, with Teddy Edwards, among others. Shortly afterwards, he was recording with the brothers Illinois and Russell Jacquet, as well as Helen Humes.
Returning to Chicago in 1946, Archia became a headliner at the Macomba Lounge, recorded extensively for Aristocrat Records during the late Forties, and recorded with Wynonie Harris and Hot Lips Page. He would go on to participate in tenor saxophone duels with Buster Bennett, Gene Ammons, Claude McLin, Hal Singer, Harold Ashby, Porter Kilbert and Lucius Washington.
By the Sixties he was struggling to find gigs and he retired to Houston in 1967, after being temporarily disabled by a broken jaw. After recovering, he played the Houston club circuit for the rest of his life. Tenor saxophonist Tom Archia died on January 16, 1977 at the age of 57.
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