Lew Soloff
Encyclopedia
Lew Soloff is a jazz
trumpeter, composer
and actor
. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music
and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears
from 1968 to 1973. Prior to this, he worked with Machito
, Gil Evans
, Tony Scott
, and Tito Puente
.
He has also been a longtime member of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet
.
In the 1980s he was a member of Members Only
, a jazz ensemble who recorded for Muse Records
.
He currently resides in New York City
.
Lew makes frequent guest appearances with jazz orchestras all over the world, such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra
.
With Carla Bley
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
trumpeter, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
from 1968 to 1973. Prior to this, he worked with Machito
Machito
Machito , born as Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, was an influential Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music...
, Gil Evans
Gil Evans
Gil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
, Tony Scott
Tony Scott
Anthony D. L. "Tony" Scott is an English film director. His films include Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop II, The Last Boy Scout, True Romance, Crimson Tide, Enemy of the State, Spy Game, Man on Fire, Déjà Vu, The Taking of Pelham 123, and Unstoppable...
, and Tito Puente
Tito Puente
Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...
.
He has also been a longtime member of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet
Manhattan Jazz Quintet
The Manhattan Jazz Quintet is a jazz ensemble consisting of David Matthews on piano, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Victor Lewis on drums, Andy Snitzer on saxophone, and Charnett Moffett on bass...
.
In the 1980s he was a member of Members Only
Members Only (band)
Members Only was a jazz-funk project under the guidance of Chris Hills, also featuring Nelson Rangell on sax, flute & piccolo, Michael Brecker on tenor sax, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Andy Marvel on keyboards, Chris Hills on drums, keyboards, guitar & vocals, Jimi Tunnell and Billy Masters on guitar,...
, a jazz ensemble who recorded for Muse Records
Muse Records
Muse Records was an American record label which released jazz and blues music.Muse was founded in the early 1970s by Joe Fields, who had previously worked as an executive for Prestige Records in the 1960s...
.
He currently resides in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Lew makes frequent guest appearances with jazz orchestras all over the world, such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra
Magic City Jazz Orchestra
The Magic City Jazz Orchestra is an American jazz ensemble which was founded in 1999 as a spin-off of the SuperJazz Big Band by Birmingham, Alabama jazz pianist and vocalist Ray Reach...
.
As soloist
- Sketches of Spain, on audiophile recording label, Sheffield Lab with Steve Richman conducting Harmonie Ensemble New York.
As leader
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(arranger), Victor LewisVictor LewisVictor Lewis is an American jazz drummer, a major force in the genre since the 1980s.-As leader:*1992: Family Portrait - with John Stubblefield, Edward Simon, Cecil McBee, Don Alias, Jumma Santos...
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(trombone), Gil GoldsteinGil GoldsteinGil Goldstein is American jazz pianist and synthesizer player who started on the accordion.He began studying accordion at age 5, but later moved on to cello and piano. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and by 1973 was working with Pat Martino, Lee Konitz, and others. He started with the...
(piano, synthesizers, accordion), Pete LevinPete LevinPete Levin is a jazz keyboardist, composer, and horn player with a 15-year association with the Gil Evans Orchestra and an 8-year association with Jimmy Giuffre. As a bandleader, he produced the album Deacon Blues in 2007...
(organ, synthesizers, vocoder), Mark EganMark EganMark Egan is an American jazz bass guitarist and trumpeter, arguably best known for his membership in the Pat Metheny Group from 1977 to 1980, and the Gil Evans Orchestra...
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(percussion). Produced by Steve SwallowSteve SwallowSteve Swallow is a jazz double bass and bass guitarist and composer born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.One of the leading bassists in jazz, Swallow is noted for collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton and Carla Bley... - My Romance, 1989 - Mark EganMark EganMark Egan is an American jazz bass guitarist and trumpeter, arguably best known for his membership in the Pat Metheny Group from 1977 to 1980, and the Gil Evans Orchestra...
(bass), Janis Siegel (vocal), Danny GottliebDanny GottliebDanny Gottlieb is a freelance drummer who has performed as part of the Pat Metheny Group and Mahavishnu Orchestra. He is also a member of the University of North Florida jazz faculty, where he teaches as a fulltime Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies.- Biography :Danny graduated from the...
(drums), Pete LevinPete LevinPete Levin is a jazz keyboardist, composer, and horn player with a 15-year association with the Gil Evans Orchestra and an 8-year association with Jimmy Giuffre. As a bandleader, he produced the album Deacon Blues in 2007...
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(percussion), Gil GoldsteinGil GoldsteinGil Goldstein is American jazz pianist and synthesizer player who started on the accordion.He began studying accordion at age 5, but later moved on to cello and piano. He studied at the Berklee College of Music and by 1973 was working with Pat Martino, Lee Konitz, and others. He started with the...
(piano, synthesizers), Emily Michell Soloff (harp) - But Beautiful, 1987 - Kenny KirklandKenny KirklandKenneth David “Kenny” Kirkland was an American pianist/keyboardist. He is most often associated with Sting, Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Kenny Garrett....
(piano), Richard Davis (bass), Elvin JonesElvin JonesElvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
(drums) - Yesterdays, 1986 -Mike SternMike SternMike Stern is an American jazz guitarist. After playing for a few years with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he landed a gig with Billy Cobham and then broke through with Miles Davis' comeback band from 1981 to 1983, and again in 1985. Since then, he launched a solo career, releasing more than a dozen albums...
(guitar), Charnett MoffettCharnett MoffettCharnett Moffett is an American jazz musician who plays piccolo bass, double bass and bass guitar.Moffett's given name was created as a combination of that of his father and that of Ornette Coleman...
(bass), Elvin JonesElvin JonesElvin Ray Jones was a jazz drummer of the post-bop era. He showed interest in drums at a young age, watching the circus bands march by his family's home in Pontiac, Michigan....
(drums) - Hanalei Bay, 1983 Gil EvansGil EvansGil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
(electric piano), Pete LevinPete LevinPete Levin is a jazz keyboardist, composer, and horn player with a 15-year association with the Gil Evans Orchestra and an 8-year association with Jimmy Giuffre. As a bandleader, he produced the album Deacon Blues in 2007...
(synthesizer), Hiram BullockHiram BullockHiram Law Bullock was an American jazz funk and jazz fusion guitarist.He was born in Osaka, Japan to African American parents serving in the U.S. Military. At the age of two he returned to Baltimore, Maryland with his parents, and quickly showed a prodigious musical talent...
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(percussion)
As sideman
With Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
- Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears is an American music group, originally formed in 1967 in New York City. Since its beginnings in 1967, the band has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and has encompassed a multitude of musical styles...
Blood, Sweat & TearsBlood, Sweat & Tears (album)Blood, Sweat & Tears is the second album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1968. It was a huge commercial success, rising to the top of the U.S. charts for a collective seven weeks and yielding three successive Top 5 singles...
, 1969 - Blood, Sweat & Tears 3Blood, Sweat & Tears 3Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 is the third album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1970.-History:After the huge success of their previous album, Blood, Sweat & Tears 3 was highly anticipated and it rose quickly to the top of the US album chart...
, 1970 Grammy Award for Album of the YearGrammy Award for Album of the YearThe Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer... - Blood, Sweat & Tears 4Blood, Sweat & Tears 4BS&T 4 is the fourth album by the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in 1971. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Pop albums chart.David Clayton-Thomas left as lead vocalist to pursue a solo career after the release of BS&T 4, as did founding members Dick Halligan and Fred Lipsius...
, 1971
With Carla Bley
Carla Bley
Carla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
- Fleur CarnivoreFleur CarnivoreFleur Carnivore is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded at the Jazzhus Montmartre in 1988 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1989.-Reception:The album is recognised as one of Bley's finest...
1989 - The Very Big Carla Bley BandThe Very Big Carla Bley BandThe Very Big Carla Bley Band is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley released on the Watt/ECM label in 1991.-Reception:...
, 1990 - Big Band TheoryBig Band TheoryBig Band Theory is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1993.-Reception:...
, 1993 - The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to ChurchThe Carla Bley Big Band Goes to ChurchThe Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church is a live album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in Perugia, Italy as part of the Umbria Jazz Festival and released on the Watt/ECM label in 1996.-Reception:...
, 1996 - 4 x 44 x 4 (album)4 x 4 is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley with a chamber ensemble recorded in Oslo in 1999 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2000.-Reception:...
, 1999 - Looking for AmericaLooking for AmericaLooking for America is an album by American composer, bandleader and keyboardist Carla Bley recorded in 2002 and released on the Watt/ECM label in 2003.-Reception:...
, 2003
- Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, A Love Supreme, 2005
- Cold Feet, Cold Feet plays Jazz Feet, 2003
- Bob BeldenBob BeldenJames Robert Belden is an American saxophonist, arranger, composer, bandleader and producer. He is noted for his Grammy Award winning jazz orchestral recording titled The Black Dahlia. He is also a past head of A & R for Blue Note Records.Belden was born in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in...
, Black DahliaBlack Dahlia"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short is an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful...
, 2001 - Gil EvansGil EvansGil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
Orchestra, Live At Umbria Jazz Vol. 1 & 2, 2001 - Manhattan Jazz QuintetManhattan Jazz QuintetThe Manhattan Jazz Quintet is a jazz ensemble consisting of David Matthews on piano, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Victor Lewis on drums, Andy Snitzer on saxophone, and Charnett Moffett on bass...
, I Got Rhythm, 2001 - Teo MaceroTeo MaceroTeo Macero , born Attilio Joseph Macero, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, and record producer...
, Impressions of Miles Davis, 2001 - Ray AndersonRay Anderson (musician)Ray Anderson is an independent jazz trombone and trumpet player. Anderson is a boisterous trombonist who is masterful at multiphonics. Trained by the Chicago Symphony trombonists, he is regarded as pushing the limits of the instrument. He is a contemporary and colleague of trombonist/composer...
, Don't Mow Your Lawn, 1999 - Trumpet Legacy — Various Artists featuring Lew Soloff, Nicholas PaytonNicholas PaytonNicholas Payton is a jazz trumpet player from New Orleans, Louisiana.-Biography:The son of bassist and sousaphonist Walter Payton, he took up the trumpet at the age of four and by the time he was nine he was playing in the Young Tuxedo Brass Band alongside his father...
, Tom HarrellTom HarrellTom Harrell is a renowned American post-bop jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer and arranger.-Biography:Tom Harrell was born in Urbana, Illinois but moved to the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of five. He started playing trumpet at eight and within five years, started playing gigs with...
and Eddie Henderson (Musician)Eddie Henderson (musician)Eddie Henderson is an American jazz trumpet and flugelhorn player. Henderson's influences include Booker Little, Clifford Brown, Woody Shaw and Miles Davis.-Family influence and early music history:...
, 1998 - Giovanni HidalgoGiovanni HidalgoGiovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" is an educator and percussionist associated with Latin jazz.-Early years:Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he received his primary education. His grandfather had also been a musician as well as his father, José Manuel Hidalgo "Mañengue", who was...
, Time Shifter, 1996 - Rob MounseyRob MounseyRob Mounsey is an award-winning composer, music producer, and musician. He was born in Berea, Ohio and grew up in Seattle, Washington and several Ohio towns. At the age of 17, he was awarded a BMI Student Composer's Award in New York. He attended Berklee College of Music in Boston from 1971 to 1975...
's Flying Monkey Orchestra, Mango Theory, 1995 - Flying Monkey Orchestra, Back In The Pool, 1995
- Various Artists, Jazz At Lincoln Center — They Came to Swing, 1994
- Ray Anderson's Pocket Brass, Where Home Is, 1994
- Giovanni HidalgoGiovanni HidalgoGiovanni Hidalgo a.k.a. "Mañenguito" is an educator and percussionist associated with Latin jazz.-Early years:Hidalgo was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico where he received his primary education. His grandfather had also been a musician as well as his father, José Manuel Hidalgo "Mañengue", who was...
, Worldwide, 1993 - Daniel Schnyder, Mythology, 1992
- Manhattan Jazz QuintetManhattan Jazz QuintetThe Manhattan Jazz Quintet is a jazz ensemble consisting of David Matthews on piano, Lew Soloff on trumpet, Victor Lewis on drums, Andy Snitzer on saxophone, and Charnett Moffett on bass...
, Manteca, 1992 - Charlie MusselwhiteCharlie MusselwhiteCharlie Musselwhite is an American electric blues harmonica player and bandleader, one of the non-black bluesmen who came to prominence in the early 1960s, along with Mike Bloomfield and Paul Butterfield. Though he has often been identified as a "white bluesman", he claims Native American heritage...
, Signature, 1991 - Teresa BrewerTeresa BrewerTeresa Brewer was an American pop singer whose style incorporated elements of country, jazz, R&B, musicals and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of the 1950s, recording nearly 600 songs. Born Theresa Breuer in Toledo, Ohio, Brewer died of a neuromuscular...
, Memories of Louis, 1991 - Marianne FaithfullMarianne FaithfullMarianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....
, Blazing Away 1990 - Hilton RuizHilton RuizHilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
, Strut, 1988 - Hilton RuizHilton RuizHilton Ruiz was a Puerto Rican American jazz pianist in the Afro-Cuban jazz mold, but was also a talented bebop player....
, Something Grand, 1986 - Frank SinatraFrank SinatraFrancis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, L.A. Is My LadyL.A. Is My LadyL.A. Is My Lady is a 1984 studio album by Frank Sinatra, featuring arrangements by Quincy Jones. It was the last solo album that Sinatra recorded, though Sinatra recorded three further songs, which were unreleased until The Complete Reprise Studio Recordings.The album came after an album of duets...
, 1984 - Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by NatureElectronic Sonata for Souls Loved by NatureElectronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature is a work by jazz arranger George Russell originally written in 1968 and first recorded in concert in Norway on April 28, 1969 and released on the Flying Dutchman label...
(1980) with George Russell - Michael Franks, Tiger In The Rain, 1979
- Grant GreenGrant GreenGrant Green was a jazz guitarist and composer....
, EasyEasy (Grant Green album)Easy is the final album by American jazz guitarist Grant Green featuring performances recorded in 1978, a few months before his death, and released on the Versatile label.-Reception:...
, 1978 - Various Artists, The Atlantic Family Live in Montreaux, 1977
- Gil EvansGil EvansGil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
, PriestessPriestess (band)Priestess is a Canadian stoner rock band formed in 2003 by Mikey Heppner , Mike Dyball , Vince Nudo , and Dan Watchorn .-Biography:...
, 1977 - Gil EvansGil EvansGil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
, Orchestra Plays The Music of Jimi HendrixJimi HendrixJames Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, 1974 - Barry MilesBarry MilesBarry Miles is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subject of the 1960s London underground. He has written numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared in left-wing papers such as The Guardian...
, Barry Miles, 1970