George Lewis: A Jazzman from New Orleans

George Lewis, a traditional jazz clarinetist, was born in 1900 and was the best-known standard bearer of New Orleans jazz. Tom Bethell's new biography challenges the myth that the music became moribund in New Orleans after the legal red-light district, Storyville, was closed in 1917. He shows that many more jazzmen stayed in the city than left, and the musical style continued to develop and grow. After Bunk Johnson's death in 1949, the New Orleans jazz tradition began to decline, becoming increasingly rigid and repetitive and often designed to please Dixieland fans. The book is based on lengthy research in New Orleans and includes interviews with George Lewis shortly before his death, unpublished material from William Russell's diaries, and a statement by Lewis on jazz and the best way to play it.

Format: Hardback
Length: 398 pages
Publication date: 29 April 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

George Lewis, a renowned traditional jazz clarinetist, was born in 1900, coinciding with the emergence of jazz in New Orleans. By the time of his passing on the last day of 1968, New Orleans jazz had reached its peak. A jazz museum had been established on Bourbon Street, and a cultural center was in the process of construction where Globe Hall once stood. Lewis' life closely mirrored the evolution of New Orleans jazz, and in his later years, he became the most prominent representative of his city's music.

He gained recognition within the jazz community during the 1940s New Orleans Revival, a period when veteran trumpeter Bunk Johnson was recorded by enthusiasts such as William Russell. In this new biography, Tom Bethell challenges a prevailing myth in jazz history: that the music declined in New Orleans after the closure of Storyville, the city's legal red-light district, in 1917, leading most jazz musicians to relocate up the river. Bethell's research reveals that many more jazz musicians remained in New Orleans than left, and the musical style continued to evolve and grow. Thus, the jazz enthusiasts who arrived in the city in the early 1940s encountered an ongoing tradition rather than a revival of an old style. Clarinettists like Lewis were influenced by a diverse range of musicians, including Benny Goodman and the Swing Era, Lorenzo Tio, and the Creole School.

After Bunk Johnson's death in 1949, at a time when significant social changes were underway in the city, the New Orleans jazz tradition began to decline. It became increasingly rigid and repetitive, often catering to the demands of Dixieland fans who clamored for their favorite musicians. The book is based on extensive research conducted in New Orleans, including interviews with George Lewis, providing a comprehensive account of the city's jazz history.

Weight: 635g
Dimension: 216 x 140 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520357563