Piano, Composer, Arranger (1920-2001)

Born 3 May 1920 in La Grange, Illinois, John Aaron Lewis moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico aged two months and was 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 joined the Army and played piano with Kenny Clarke, who encouraged him to move to New York in 1945. He studied at Manhattan School of Music, earning his master's degree in 1953, whilst working with Dizzy Gillespie's big band from 1946 as pianist, composer, and arranger. He wrote "Toccata for Trumpet and Orchestra" (premiered Carnegie Hall 1947), "Two Bass Hit", "Emanon", arranged for Miles Davis' Birth of the Cool sessions, and worked with Charlie Parker, Lester Young, and Ella Fitzgerald.

In 1951, he formed the Milt Jackson Quartet with 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 that ran until 1974, reformed in 1981, and continued until Jackson's death in 1999. Lewis transformed the group from bebop into refined chamber jazz combining improvisation with classical-influenced arrangements. His compositions included "Django" (written for Django Reinhardt), "Afternoon in Paris", "Vendome", and "Concorde". He composed film scores including Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) and The Tempest (1979), was part of the Third Stream movement fusing jazz and classical music, helped establish the Lenox School of Jazz in Massachusetts, and served as musical director for Monterey Jazz Festival (1958-82) and American Jazz Orchestra (1985-92). He taught at City College of New York and Harvard during the MJQ's 1974-1981 hiatus. Named 2001 NEA Jazz Master, he died 29 March 2001 in New York.