Saxophone-Drum Jazz Duo Steve Wilson and Lewis Nash April 8, 2011

Lakewood Cultural Center presents
Musical Dialogue with
Steve Wilson and Lewis Nash
Lakewood Cultural Center presents an evening of dynamic musical interplay and engaging commentary with jazz saxophonist Steve Wilson and jazz drummer Lewis Nash at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 8 in Lakewood’s intimate 310-seat theater. Adult tickets are $25 and are available by calling 303-987-7845, online at www.Lakewood.org/CultureCenter or at the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office, 470 S. Allison Parkway (Wadsworth Boulevard and West Alameda Avenue). Senior, student and child discounts available. Free parking on-site.
As part of our commitment to furthering education in the performing arts, Lewis and Nash will be conducting a jazz instrumental workshop at a Lakewood middle school in addition to the concert.
There are no two better musicians on the jazz scene today to form a saxophone-drum duo than Steve Wilson and Lewis Nash – two instrumentalists whose playing is richly steeped in the history of jazz. They are leaders of their generation, concocting their own brand of elegant and intricate music. Together, they click like two gears, reaching their audience in more than musical ways. Their performances are brimming with virtuosic command of rhythm, coloration, melodic flare, and their exquisite gifts for phrasing and lyricism. This unique concept of a saxophone and drum duo is an unconventional format that is not tackled by many musicians. But when you pair together two musicians who have a long history together, share like musical concepts, and who have a natural chemistry, you have all the elements for incredible, spontaneous and creative jazz improvisation.
Highly regarded as a musician's musician, Steve Wilson has brought his distinctive sound to more than 100 recordings and ensembles led by such celebrated artists as Chick Corea, Ron Carter, Christian McBride, George Duke, Michael Brecker, Dianne Reeves, Bill Bruford, Gerald Wilson, Maria Schneider, Joe Henderson, Charlie Byrd, Karrin Allyson, and Don Byron, among many others.
Arriving in New York in 1987, Wilson quickly became first-call choice for veteran and emerging artists alike, prompting a New York Times profile "A Sideman's Life." Since 1997, he has been regularly cited in the Downbeat Magazine Critics and Readers polls in the soprano and alto saxophone categories. In 2008, the Jazz Journalists Association nominated him for Soprano Sax Player of the Year and in 2010 for Alto Sax Player of the Year. In February 2011, Wilson celebrated his 50th birthday with a six-night engagement, leading six different bands, at Jazz Standard, NYC’s premiere jazz club. A major interview featured in the Wall Street Journal, America’s largest newspaper, carried the headline, “The Sideman Becomes the Star.” The article, by respected writer Larry Blumenfeld, added, “Mr. Wilson is essential to this city’s jazz landscape.”
Wilson is a respected leader of two acclaimed ensembles – Steve Wilson Quartet and Wilsonian’s Grain – and he is one-half of two dynamic duos, with drummer Lewis Nash and also with pianist Bruce Barth as documented on the recent recording “Home” on the We Always Swing label. Wilson has seven recordings under his own name, leading and collaborating with such stellar artists as Nicholas Payton, Mulgrew Miller, Rene Marie, Ray Drummond, Cyrus Chestnut, Greg Hutchinson, and Ben Riley.
Lewis Nash developed an early interest in music and began playing the drums at age 10. At 18, he was performing with local jazz groups as well as top name artists in his native Phoenix. By the time he was 21, Lewis had become the first-call jazz drummer in Phoenix and had performed with Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Red Garland, Lee Konitz, Barney Kessell and Slide Hampton. In 1981, he moved to New York and joined the trio of jazz vocalist Betty Carter and toured internationally. He is featured on three of her recordings including Grammy-award winning “Look What I Got.” Lewis has been invited to perform with a great many of the who’s who in jazz including the bands of Ron Carter, Branford Marsalis, J.J. Johnson, the Don Pullen/George Adams Quartet, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Clark Terry and Milt Jackson. He was a member of the Tommy Flanagan Trio and is featured on seven CD recordings with the piano master, including the Grammy-nominated “Sea Changes.” Along with those mentioned above, his impressive discography includes projects with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson and Benny Carter as well as today’s brightest new names including Diana Krall, Russell Malone and Regina Carter. He has one recording as a leader, “Rhythm is My Business” on the Evidence label. His all-star ensemble has performed in the United States and in Europe.
The 2010-2011 Lakewood Cultural Center Presents Season is generously supported by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), with appreciation to the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Aura Spa and Wellness Center at the Sheraton Denver West and The Denver Post.