Lewis Nash appreciation thread

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JMan

JMan

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I first heard Lewis Nash play on Joe Henderson’s big band album about 20 years ago, and learned a ton from listening/playing to it.

Recently, I started listening to Kenny Barron’s album “Invitation”, on which Lewis is the drummer. His time is so rock solid, it’s remarkable. And he always does so much to make the band sound excellent.

Any other Lewis Nash recommendations and/or anecdotes about hearing him live?
 
He's the best and such a nice guy, too. My favorite record he's on is Tommy Flanagan's "Sunset and the Mockingbird." Absolutely masterful playing all around. I have plenty more appreciation to give him when I have more time to post...
 
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One of my 3 all-time favorite players!

Favorite albums:

-Tommy Flanagan Trio “Sea Changes” with Peter Washington
-Tommy Flanagan Trio “Let’s” with George Mraz
-Tommy Flanagan Trio “Lady Be Good” with Peter Washington
-“Presenting Chris Potter”
-Kenny Baron “Invitation”
-Bill Mays Trio “Ellington Affair”

Desert Island album for me: Tommy’s “Sea Changes”
 
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I saw him at the Village Vanguard several times with Tommy Flanagan. Great player. I sat right next to his hi hat one night (if you've been to the VV, you know where I'm talking about). I was so close that when he dropped one of his brushes, I leaned over and handed it back to him.
 
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I once asked LN where he got his cymbal beat from...he told me his big 3 were Kenny Clarke, Jimmy Cobb and Connie Kay. I wasn't surprised about the first two, but the addition of Connie Kay was unexpected. He has been and continues to be a huge inspiration to me, both as a drummer and as a person. Some things that have stood out to me about his playing:

-He has a nearly inexhaustible amount of sounds/colors he can access on the drum set. Plus, he has a seemingly photographic memory for all those sounds, so he can access the perfect sound for any given musical moment, exactly at that moment.

-When he solos, a lot of what he plays comes from musicians who aren't drummers. He's playing language, just like they are...just on the drums. His phrasing sounds like that too.

-He's so tuned into all the subtle stuff. He's very assertive, yet never dominates. He knows exactly when to push and when to pull. He can fit into any musical situation and sound like he belongs there. If we're talking about being an accompanist, I actually think he might be the greatest drummer-accompanist who has ever played the instrument.

Seeing Nash play in the same rhythm section as Peter Washington and Mulgrew Miller was insane. I don't think I've ever seen a rhythm section with that level of control before or since.
 
pork said:
He's the best and such a nice guy, too. My favorite record he's on is Tommy Flanagan's "Sunset and the Mockingbird." Absolutely masterful playing all around. I have plenty more appreciation to give him when I have more time to post...
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I’ll check that out, thanks. And looking forward to hearing more!
 
Devindrums78 said:
One of my 3 all-time favorite players!

Favorite albums:

-Tommy Flanagan Trio “Sea Changes” with Peter Washington
-Tommy Flanagan Trio “Let’s” with George Mraz
-Tommy Flanagan Trio “Lady Be Good” with Peter Washington
-“Presenting Chris Potter”
-Kenny Baron “Invitation”
-Bill Mays Trio “Ellington Affair”

Desert Island album for me: Tommy’s “Sea Changes”
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Nice, if it’s a desert island album, I’ll have to check it out! With that trio, you really can’t go wrong.
 
pork said:
I once asked LN where he got his cymbal beat from...he told me his big 3 were Kenny Clarke, Jimmy Cobb and Connie Kay. I wasn't surprised about the first two, but the addition of Connie Kay was unexpected. He has been and continues to be a huge inspiration to me, both as a drummer and as a person. Some things that have stood out to me about his playing:

-He has a nearly inexhaustible amount of sounds/colors he can access on the drum set. Plus, he has a seemingly photographic memory for all those sounds, so he can access the perfect sound for any given musical moment, exactly at that moment.

-When he solos, a lot of what he plays comes from musicians who aren't drummers. He's playing language, just like they are...just on the drums. His phrasing sounds like that too.

-He's so tuned into all the subtle stuff. He's very assertive, yet never dominates. He knows exactly when to push and when to pull. He can fit into any musical situation and sound like he belongs there. If we're talking about being an accompanist, I actually think he might be the greatest drummer-accompanist who has ever played the instrument.

Seeing Nash play in the same rhythm section as Peter Washington and Mulgrew Miller was insane. I don't think I've ever seen a rhythm section with that level of control before or since.
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Those insights are very well said. I love hearing drummers who are musicians first, and he’s a prime example of that.

And that’s really cool about Connie Kay. He’s someone I haven’t done enough digging on, but an endorsement from Lewis Nash is all I need to get started.
 
pork said:
I once asked LN where he got his cymbal beat from...he told me his big 3 were Kenny Clarke, Jimmy Cobb and Connie Kay. I wasn't surprised about the first two, but the addition of Connie Kay was unexpected. He has been and continues to be a huge inspiration to me, both as a drummer and as a person. Some things that have stood out to me about his playing:

-He has a nearly inexhaustible amount of sounds/colors he can access on the drum set. Plus, he has a seemingly photographic memory for all those sounds, so he can access the perfect sound for any given musical moment, exactly at that moment.

-When he solos, a lot of what he plays comes from musicians who aren't drummers. He's playing language, just like they are...just on the drums. His phrasing sounds like that too.

-He's so tuned into all the subtle stuff. He's very assertive, yet never dominates. He knows exactly when to push and when to pull. He can fit into any musical situation and sound like he belongs there. If we're talking about being an accompanist, I actually think he might be the greatest drummer-accompanist who has ever played the instrument.

Seeing Nash play in the same rhythm section as Peter Washington and Mulgrew Miller was insane. I don't think I've ever seen a rhythm section with that level of control before or since.
Click to expand...
Now this^^^^I like. Very interesting review and analysis.
 
I prefer Lewis on brushes, and think he just might belong on a Brushes Mt. Rushmore with Ed Thigpen, Shelly Mann, and Clayton Cameron. Obviously, a topic for another thread.

At the same time, I hear him on recordings all the time on jazz radio, which I think indicates his stature as a top session guy in the jazz world. I think I saw him kickin' a big band in Detroit at one time.
 
I live in Phoenix AZ so I get to see him perform and talk with him often. He is a top notch player and person. His playing is always amazing but when the right combination of players are the stage you can really see the magic happening. I think Kenny Barron "invitation" is a great representation of his straight up jazz playing. I once asked him what he would say his favorite recording that he is on is and he said it was Mulgrew Miller "Hand in Hand". It's out of print but you can buy a physical CD or find it on YouTube. He commented that everyone on that album were great players. I don't think he chose that album because it showcases his drumming ability, but because it showcases everyone's ability both individually and playing as a group.
 
I'm all in for Lewis Nash discussion. I hope everyone knows that he owns a jazz club in Phoenix called The Nash. For anyone close (or not so close) go out and support this heavy endeavor.

Since Lewis is a fan of Connie Kay's ride cymbal beat, and was a frequent sideman of Tommy Flanagan's, I would strongly suggest absorbing a swinging trio date called Tommy Flanagan "Out of this World, The Music of Harold Arlen" with George Mraz, and Connie Kay. Actually ANY Tommy Flanagan trio record is worth its weight in gold (or probably more, I don't know what gold prices are these days.)

There are so many great records that Lewis has made, where to start? I'll have to get back to you on that one...
MSG
 
nomsgmusic said:
I'm all in for Lewis Nash discussion. I hope everyone knows that he owns a jazz club in Phoenix called The Nash. For anyone close (or not so close) go out and support this heavy endeavor.

Since Lewis is a fan of Connie Kay's ride cymbal beat, and was a frequent sideman of Tommy Flanagan's, I would strongly suggest absorbing a swinging trio date called Tommy Flanagan "Out of this World, The Music of Harold Arlen" with George Mraz, and Connie Kay. Actually ANY Tommy Flanagan trio record is worth its weight in gold (or probably more, I don't know what gold prices are these days.)

There are so many great records that Lewis has made, where to start? I'll have to get back to you on that one...
MSG
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Thanks for all this info! I had no idea he owned a club. I’ll keep it in mind next time out west.
 
studrum said:
I prefer Lewis on brushes, and think he just might belong on a Brushes Mt. Rushmore with Ed Thigpen, Shelly Mann, and Clayton Cameron. Obviously, a topic for another thread.

At the same time, I hear him on recordings all the time on jazz radio, which I think indicates his stature as a top session guy in the jazz world. I think I saw him kickin' a big band in Detroit at one time.
Click to expand...
I would replace Clayton with Jeff Hamilton as far as my brush Mt. Rushmore.
 
Amazing player. He was smart to open a jazz club somewhere affordable. I’d like to do that one day.
 
pork said:
He's the best and such a nice guy, too. My favorite record he's on is Tommy Flanagan's "Sunset and the Mockingbird." Absolutely masterful playing all around. I have plenty more appreciation to give him when I have more time to post...
Click to expand...

Yeah, that Tommy Flanagan album is perfection. As for more Nash recommendations, you can't go wrong if he is on drums. Jim Hall's 'Magic Meeting' (w/ Scott Colley), which is desert island material for me, and Don Pullen's 'Random Thoughts' (w/ James Genus) are two more trios with Nash that I wholeheartedly recommend.
 
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