IN WHAT IT APPEARS TO BE HIS FIRST RECORDING DEBUT AS A LEADER, DON LEWIS IS A PLEASANT PLAYER WHOSE FIRM BELIEF IN MUSICAL VIRTUES RECALL THE ENERGY AN FOCUS OF PRE-LP ERA RECORDING AND THEIR EMPHASIS ON CONCISE, MELODIC SOLOS.
A RESOURCEFUL COMPOSER-NINE ORIGINAL TUNES ALL OF HIS WORK THE MID-TEMPO STURT OF "BLUES ON THE ROCKS" AND "BLUE NITES" RECALL BENNY GOLSON ERA JAZZ MESSENGERS AND BLUE NOTE'S CLASSIC HARD BOP SOUND.
AS A SOLOIST HIS APPROACH RANGES FROM THE DOUBLE TEMPO BRAVRA OF HIS TRUMPET IN "THE SWING MACHINE" TO HIS MELLOWER FLUGLEHORN IN "BLUS SEA'S", "THE GOOD LIFE" AND THE MUTED "BALLAD". THEO MERRIWEATHER CREATES SPARKING PIANO SOLOS IN "THE GOOD LIFE" "IT IS YOU", "BLUES ON THE ROCKS" AND "MY TALLULAH". BERKLEY fUDGE'S TENOR SAX IMPRESSES DURING " BALLAD" AS DOES CARL ALMON IN "JUST KICKEN", " MY TALLULAH" AND "BLUE NITE'S."ALMON AND LEWIS SHARE ATTRACTIVE UNISON LINES NEAR THE CLOSE OF "BLUS SEA," CONFIRMING WHY THIS ATTRACTIVE PROGRAM MIGHT JUST BE A GREAT PART OF A VERY SUBSTANTIAL CAREER.---DAVID LEWIS
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