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RE: Omer Simeon

Author: barry
Date: 1999-12-23 11:53

Ron,
Oh gosh! George Lewis! If I could only take one jazz piece to a desert island, it would have to be Burgundy Street Blues -- the vocal version with Monette Moore -- which still brings tears to my eyes after hundreds of hearings. Jass at the Ohio Union, the Beverly Caverns Sessions and Jazz at Vespers are all among my favorite albums. Lewis for me has an extraordinary emotional intensity. Although his style sounds simple, it is impossible to imitate, even if one can make the right notes. I was part of the British traditional jazz scene in the late 1950s, when Lewis -- who visited Britain around that time -- was one of our heroes. To my regret, I let the clarinet lapse for 35 years while I pursued a career and brought up a family. I started again about three years ago, and was fortunate enough to jam one evening with a guy called Bob Green, who had played often with Lewis. Then about a year ago, I decided to start learning to read music and to play classical clarinet. I have a terrific teacher, a retired conservatory professor and student of Jacques Lancelot. I recently transposed Schumann's Kerner Lieder to play with a pianist friend, and they've come along nicely. The more experienced I get, the more I love Mozart, and I figure that if I can ever learn the concerto decently, I'll have something to talk about if I ever bump into him in the Elysian Fields. Learning classical clarinet has given me renewed appreciation for my jazz favorites, especially Bigard -- and. since I live in France, Hubert Rostaing. I wasn't aware that George Lewis was such an admirer of Goodman, but it figures, and I couldn't agree with him more.
Best regards.

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