SOPAC Giant Of Jazz – Lewis Nash

Jazz Buddies,

Last evening (Thanksgiving Saturday), I had the pleasure of attending the annual Giants of Jazz event at the South Orange Performing Arts Center (SOPAC), located in downtown South Orange, New Jersey.

Founded in 1997 by bassist John Lee, Giants of Jazz honors exceptional musicians, and presents a Jazz Masters Award to a distinguished artist whose creativity has had a major impact on Jazz performance and/or education.

This year’s honoree was the great drummer, bandleader, vocalist, mentor, professor, and Grammy Award winner: Lewis Nash.

As an avid album “reader” of liner notes, I casually began to notice the name “Lewis Nash, Drums” on more than a few albums in the mid-1980s, right smack in the middle of my efforts to build up a treasured Jazz collection.By the time the 1990s rolled around, with the advent of compact discs (CDs) and smaller space for legible detailed liner notes, finding out during one’s search who was actually playing on a CD was even more important.  And, seemingly, on half the CDs released, there appeared “Lewis Nash, Drums”.  To date, Nash has appeared on more than 500 recordings.

Early in life, Lewis Nash, a Phoenix, Arizona, native, quickly established himself as the first-call drummer for touring Jazz greats traveling thru town.  In 1981, he moved to New York City following an audition with the great Jazz vocalist, Betty Carter (and Dean of ‘Betty Carter Jazz University’).  Following four years of touring and recording with Carter’s trio, Nash held down the drum chair with a Who’s Who of Jazz artists and groups: Ron Carter, Branford Marsalis, J.J. Johnson, George Adams/Don Pullen, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Tommy Flanagan, and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO).  Very impressive, indeed!

These days, Lewis Nash, while continuing to record, tour, and lead his quintet, conducts on-line drum clinics and is a Professor of Practice in Jazz at the Arizona State University School of Music.  Nash is also winner of 10 Grammy Awards and has been nominated numerous times.  And, finally, The Nash Jazz club in Phoenix, which opened in 2012, is named after its famous native son.

The outstanding three-hour program, with welcoming comments from Lana Rogachevskaya, SOPAC Executive Director, was emceed and produced by John Lee, and featured 23 outstanding Jazz musicians performing 15 tunes, including Jazz standards, Jazz classics, and rarely performed gems.

Below is the program, along with the performers:

  • Locomotion (John Coltrane) – Benito Gonzalez (p), Dezron Douglas (b), Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts (d)
  • The Greeting (McCoy Tyner) – Bruce Williams (as), Freddie Hendrix (tr), Benito Gonzalez (p), Dezron Douglas (b), Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts (d)
  • Darn That Dream (Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie DeLange) – Brandon McCune (p), Dezron Douglas (b), Tommy Campbell (d)
  • Caravan (Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington) – Erena Terakubo (as), Brandon McCune (p), John Webber (b), Tommy Campbell (d)
  • ‘Round Midnight (Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams) – Mike LeDonne (p), John Webber (b), Winard Harper (d)
  • Sugar (Stanley Turrentine) – Eric Alexander (ts), Dave Stryker (g), Mike LeDonne (p), John Webber (b), Winard Harper (d)
  • ***Presentation of SOPAC Giant of Jazz Award***
  • You And The Night Music (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz) – Emmet Cohen (p), Rufus Reid (b), Evan Sherman (d)
  • In Your Own Sweet Way (Dave Brubeck) – Steve Davis (tb), Emmet Cohen (p), Rufus Reid (b), Evan Sherman (d)
  • It Could Happen To You (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) – Cyrus Chestnut (p), Buster Williams (b), Billy Hart (d)
  • Something To Live For (Billy Strayhorn, Duke Ellington) – Roberta Gambarini (vc),  Cyrus Chestnut (p), Buster Williams (b), Lewis Nash (d)
  • Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don’t Tease Me) (Duke Ellington, Lee Gaines) – Roberta Gambarini (vc),  Terell Stafford (tr), Steve Wilson (as), Cyrus Chestnut (p), Buster Williams (b), Lewis Nash (vc, d)
  • Freedom Jazz Dance (Eddie Harris, Kahil El’Zabar) (solo) – Lewis Nash (d)
  • Brushes & Brass (Clark Terry, Max Roach) (duo) – Terell Stafford (tr), Lewis Nash (d)
  • Con Alma (Dizzy Gillespie) (duo) – Steve Wilson (as), Lewis Nash (d)
  • Cleanhead Blues (Eddie Vinson) – Terell Stafford (tr), Steve Wilson (as), Cyrus Chestnut (p), Buster Williams (b), Lewis Nash (vc, d)

Following the intermission, John Lee cited a “Lewis Nash Day” proclamation and presented a 2025 SOPAC Giant of Jazz plaque to Lewis Nash, after which three great Jazz legends, Rufus Reid (2022 Giant of Jazz), Buster Williams (2017 Giant of Jazz), and Billy Hart (2022 NEA Jazz Master), took the opportunity to share wonderful, complimentary thoughts on Nash’s professionalism, artistry, and excellence.

Alto saxophone great Steve Wilson, Nash’s contemporary and frequent collaborator, recalled how they first met in 1986, when Nash appeared with the Branford Marsalis Quartet in Hampton, Virginia, his hometown.  Besides working together in different bands over the years, in 2001, they began collaborating and performing together as a rare alto saxophone / drums duo, and have since recorded two CDs. 

Closing out the incredible evening, Lewis Nash took his place behind the drum kit, and guided various line-ups (sextet, quintet, quartet, duos, solo), all the while displaying masterful drumming, beautiful brush work, incredibly fast hands, creativity, polyrhythms, scatting (trading fours), and great blues vocal chops.

His solo drum performance of “Freedom Jazz Dance”, he stated, was a tribute to three drum masters: recently departed Roy Haynes, just shy of 100 years-old; Max Roach, whose centennial birthday we’re celebrating; and Freddie Waits, drum teacher/mentor (and father of Nasheet Waits).

Overall, another wonderful evening of Jazz, in recognition of a true Giant!!!  Congratulations, Mr. Nash!! 🥁

Special thanks to Dezron Douglas, Evan Sherman, and Emmet Cohen for helping me reconstruct the set list! 😉

Kenneth