If
you want to play guitar alongside rock music icon Steve Miller, you’d
better be good. Fans of Miller’s lengthy rock and roll career
would do good to take a listen to Miller band guitarist Kenny Lee
Lewis on his new CD, entitled New Vintage. Like Miller, Lewis
has a real penchant for jazzy instrumentals and he really gets to
stretch out on his twelve track 2009 solo effort. Lewis also has a
thing for classic jazz guitar heroes like Wes Montgomery, Howard Roberts
and Grant Green, and some of the smoother tracks here also echo the
classic L.A. style mid ‘70s era of smooth jazz originator George
Benson. So amidst the smooth, jazzy vibes how funky does Lewis get
on the New Vintage CD? Well for an answer take a listen to
Kenny’s fresh cover of the Average White Band classic, “Pick
Up The Pieces,” written by none other than one time Wings guitarist
Hamish Stuart back in the ‘70s. Other highlights abound including
instro covers of Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway, topped off by a
set-closing cover of “If I Only Had A Brain,” written by
Harold Arlen for The Wizard Of Oz. Besides being a testament
to Kenny’s diversity as a guitarist over the past 35 years,
New Vintage is a superbly recorded album of smooth guitar jazz.
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/ www.KennyLeeLewis.com
MUSIC
WEB EXPRESS 3000
presents KENNY LEE LEWIS
Guitars Center Stage
Guitarists making waves in the music world,
their new recordings and gear!
Musical Background
I grew
up in a house of swing music. My dad was a frustrated swing musician
and had played sax, guitar and drums as a young father of three while
working for the State of California. Count Basie and Woody Herman
were always blasting on the giant stereo phono console in the living
room. We moved from the L.A. area to Sacramento in 1960 and I eventually
became one the post-hippie flower children in the early 70's and started
playing ukulele at the tender age of 8. My brother and sister were
folkies and sang Peter Paul and Mary songs for the family during holiday
get togethers. Eventually I got my hands on my brother's Sears Silvertone
nylon guitar and started learning folk songs, Then the British invasion
got me hankerin' for an electric rig. When I first heard Clapton's
solo on "I Feel Free" in 1966, it blew me away. A year later,
I cut out of playing spin the bottle at a 7th grade party to listen
to Are You Experienced? on another huge stereo in Debbie Lusk's
back yard. I just sat on the floor in front of those throbbing 15"
speakers and went into a coma. At that moment, I knew what I wanted
to do in life. Play loud lead guitar and get paid for it.
Eventually I got in high school bands and then learned jazz guitar
and flute in junior college. I moved back to L.A. in 1973 and started
touring around the country eventually meeting up with my now wife
of 34 years, Dianne Steinberg. Through recording an album with her
in 1976, I met all the connected studio cats and became a double scale
bass player within a year. Then in 1980 I met Gary Mallaber who had
played on most of Steve Miller's hits. He had also played on Moondance
with Van Morrison and most of Eddie Money's hits. He played a little
keyboard and was quite the renaissance man and wrote songs. We had
a couple record deals that went nowhere, then Miller called for some
material near the end of 1981. We were going for another record deal
and had 8 songs mixed when he called. We sent him the songs thinking
he might do just one. He ended up taking all 8 and we were out of
material! I played guitar and bass on most of the tracks and he actually
had our little 8 track tape masters transferred to 24 track format
which meant I was on the album now. I also helped in producing the
new record at Capitol Records in November and December of 1981. Eventually
he just asked me if I wanted to join the band and tour with him. That
album became the Abracadabra album and ended up selling over
5 million copies worldwide.
These days the recording sessions have pretty much dried up so I have
been writing and producing myself and other artists. I program tracks
on Pro Tools and have a nice studio here at my house, Miramonte Studio.
I still tour with The Steve Miller Band as a bassist and guitarist/vocalist
to sell out crowds every summer. My new CD New Vintage was
released last September and has had a slow start but is now getting
rave reviews in all the trades. I will begin doing some concerts this
week promoting my CD, the first of which will be at the famous Hearst
Castle here on the Central Coast in California where I live now with
my family. So after 40 years of bangin' on that guitar, I'm finally
getting some individual recognition.
New
CD
I
just finished a new smooth jazz instrumental guitar CD New Vintage
on the New Folk/Allegro record label. It was recorded here at my house
in San Luis Obispo. Along with my rock and blues influences, my approach
borrows sounds and techniques from Wes Montgomery, George Benson,
and Howard Roberts as well. It started out as a project in Studio
Vision, was transferred to ADAT format and finally the last three
new tracks were all done in Pro Tools HD.
Some of my guest artists include Ricky Peterson, keyboardist and musical
director for David Sanborn and currently with Bonnie Raitt. Billy
Peterson, former bassist and arranger for the Steve Miller Band, and
co-owner of The Artist Quarter jazz club in St. Paul, MN. Paul Peterson,
bassist for Kenny Loggins, George Benson, and Oleta Adams. Danny Pelfrey,
saxophonist/composer who’s credits include Diana Ross and Carole
King. Gordy Knutson, drummer for The Steve Miller Band and professor
of percussion at the McNally-Smith College of Music in Minneapolis,
MN. Jason DeLaire, former saxophonist with Michael Bolton. Singer
Dianne Steinberg, recording artist and actress who portrayed “Lucy”
in the Robert Stigwood production of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely
Hearts Club Band and many other talented session players.
On this CD I try to get back to the time when guitar instrumentals
were in the top ten playlists on radio. New Vintage takes the
listener back to when the merits of melody and composition were lauded
upon live musicians performing as a section. Using Hammond B-3 organ,
Fender Rhodes electric piano, Mini-moog synthesizer and other retro
hardware of it’s day, my co-producer Billy Peterson and I sought
to capture the essence of the sounds from a bygone era. Combined with
acid-jazz and hip-hop influences, New Vintage crosses over
the classiness of old CTI recordings and Creed Taylor productions
with the grooves and feel of today’s contemporary new-age jazz.
Favorite
Guitars
My
choice of instruments is pretty streamlined. On the new record, I
play a ’93
Gibson Custom Shop Herb Ellis ES-165 and an Epiphone Broadway
Zephyr. They both have D'Addario Chromes flat-wound strings with a
wound G-string of course. The amp on New Vintage is a sort
of odd orphan. It’s a party favor that Steve gave everyone in
the band in ’95. The manager went to Capitol Records and said
we want to give everybody in the organization a nice present for the
tour, and he talked Capitol into paying for 35 American Strats and
Fender Pro Junior tweed amps. That little Pro Junior sounds incredible
at low volume at it balances nicely with the huge sound of those jazz
boxes without creating too much howling associated with acoustic electric
guitars. The guitar on "Gladiator Theme" is a Godin Multiac
electric nylon acoustic thin-line midi instrument which I think is
a beautiful sounding guitar just plugged in direct with no microphone!
And about pedals? We don't need no stinking pedals!
(my apologies to all the muso-gear-heads out there. Sometimes just
plugging a big fat jazz guitar with a wound G-string into a little
tube amp is all one needs to get a sweet classic tone)
Musical
Influences
Number
one is Wes Montgomery. He was really from another planet. Other obvious
influences are Beck, Hendrix, Clapton, George Benson, Howard Roberts,
Robben Ford, Terry Kath, and of course, Steve Miller.
Web Site
CD available
at:
www.NewFolkRecords.com
www.Amazon.com
myspace.com/kleelewis
stevemillerband.com
hangdynasty.com
www.CDBaby.com
www.KennyLeeLewis.com
email: kllewis@charter.net
