Collection: John Lewis

Born John Aaron Lewis on 3 May 1920 in La Grange, Illinois, John Lewis moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico aged two months, raised by his grandmother after his mother's death when he was four. He began classical piano aged seven and studied music and anthropology at the University of New Mexico. In 1942, he entered the Army and played piano with Kenny Clarke, who influenced him to move to New York in 1945. He studied at Manhattan School of Music (master's degree 1953) whilst working with Dizzy Gillespie's big band from 1946 as pianist, composer, and arranger, replacing Thelonious Monk. He wrote "Toccata for Trumpet and Orchestra" (1947, premiered Carnegie Hall), "Two Bass Hit", "Emanon", and arranged for Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool (1949-50). He also worked with Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Ella Fitzgerald.

In 1951, the Milt Jackson Quartet formed with Lewis, Jackson, Kenny Clarke, and Ray Brown. In 1952, Percy Heath replaced Brown and the group became the Modern Jazz Quartet with Lewis as musical director. Connie Kay replaced Clarke in 1955, establishing the classic lineup until 1974. Lewis transformed the group from bebop into refined chamber jazz, creating music where improvised and arranged sections were of equal importance. The MJQ disbanded in 1974, reformed in 1981, and continued until Jackson's death in 1999. His compositions included "Django" (written for Django Reinhardt), "Afternoon in Paris", "Vendome", and "Concorde". He composed film scores for Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) and The Tempest (1979), was part of the Third Stream movement, and served as musical director for Monterey Jazz Festival (1958-82). Named 2001 NEA Jazz Master, Lewis died 29 March 2001 in New York.