The teaming up of New Orleans clarinetist George Lewis and England’s Ken Colyer always made perfect sense. Colyer (1928-88), who was always a proponent of the ensemble-oriented and often-ragged music of Bunk Johnson and George Lewis, had a spirited if primitive style on the trumpet. He stated melodies with a minimum of notes, was interested in capturing the spirit of early New Orleans jazz rather than trying to be a virtuoso, and cared more about expressing honest emotions than concentrating on playing flawlessly. After breaking with trombonist Chris Barber (they had argued over the type of music that they wanted to perform), he started his own group in 1954 and gained a strong following that stayed with him for 20 years.
George Lewis (1900-68) was one of the key musicians who stayed in New Orleans in the 1920s and ’30s rather than going North, working locally and also having various day jobs. Lewis finally left New Orleans to play with Bunk Johnson on and off during 1942-46, returned home, and then became practically the symbol of New Orleans jazz in the early 1950s, leading a rollicking band that eventually traveled extensively overseas. Lewis met Colyer in the early 1950s when the trumpeter, who was in the US with the British Merchant Marines, went AWOL so he could go to New Orleans and play with some of his idols. Lewis liked Colyer’s playing and spirit so much that, when o
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