Lew Soloff (born February 20, 1944, in New York City) is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He worked with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973. Prior to this, he worked with Machito, Gil Evans, Tony Scott, and Tito Puente.^[1]

He has also been a longtime member of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet.

In the 1980s he was a member of Members Only, a jazz ensemble who recorded for Muse Records.^[2] He currently resides in New York City.

Lew makes frequent guest appearances with jazz orchestras all over the world, such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (directed by Wynton Marsalis) and the Magic City Jazz Orchestra (directed by Ray Reach).

§Discography[edit]

§As soloist[edit]

• Sketches of Spain, on audiophile recording label, Sheffield Lab with Steve Richman conducting Harmonie Ensemble New York.

§As leader[edit]

• Air on a G String, 2003 – Larry Willis (piano), Francois Moutin (bass), Victor Lewis (drums)
• Rainbow Mountain, 2000 – Lou Marini (saxophones, flute), Joe Beck (guitar), Mark Egan (bass), Danny Gottlieb (drums). Also with special guests: Delmar Brown(synthesizers, vocal), Hiram Bullock (guitar), Will Lee (bass), Jeff “Tain” Watts (drums), Miles Evans (trumpet), Paul Shaffer (Hammond B-3 organ)
• With a Song In My Heart, 1999 Rob Mounsey (arranger), Victor Lewis (drums), Emily Mitchell Soloff (harp), Mulgrew Miller (piano), George Mraz (bass)
• Little Wing, 1991 – Ray Anderson (trombone), Gil Goldstein (piano, synthesizers, accordion), Pete Levin (organ, synthesizers, vocoder), Mark Egan (bass),Kenwood Dennard (drums), Manolo Badrena (percussion). Produced by Steve Swallow
• My Romance, 1989 – Mark Egan (bass), Janis Siegel (vocal), Danny Gottlieb (drums), Pete Levin (synthesizers), Airto Moreira (percussion), Gil Goldstein (piano, synthesizers), Emily Michell Soloff (harp)
• But Beautiful, 1987 – Kenny Kirkland (piano), Richard Davis (bass), Elvin Jones (drums)
• Yesterdays, 1986 –Mike Stern (guitar), Charnett Moffett (bass), Elvin Jones (drums)
• Hanalei Bay, 1983 Gil Evans (electric piano), Pete Levin (synthesizer), Hiram Bullock (guitar), Adam Nussbaum (drums), Mark Egan (bass), Manolo Badrena(percussion)

§As sideman[edit]

With George Benson

• Tell It Like It Is (A&M/CTI, 1969)
• Big Boss Band (Warner Bros., 1990)

With Blood, Sweat & Tears

• Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1969
• Blood, Sweat & Tears 3, 1970 Grammy Award for Album of the Year
• Blood, Sweat & Tears 4, 1971
• New Blood, 1972
• No Sweat, 1973

With Carla Bley

• Fleur Carnivore 1989
• The Very Big Carla Bley Band, 1990
• Big Band Theory, 1993
• The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church, 1996
• 4 x 4, 1999
• Looking for America, 2003

With Gil Evans

• The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix (RCA, 1974)
• There Comes a Time (RCA, 1975)
• Parabola (Horo, 1979)
• Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978 (RCA, 1979)
• Live at the Public Theater (New York 1980) (Trio, 1981)
• Live at Sweet Basil (Gramavision, 1984 [1986])
• Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 2 (Gramavision, 1984 [1987])
• Farewell (Evidence, 1986 [1988])
• Live At Umbria Jazz Vol. 1 & 2, 2001

With Dizzy Gillespie

• Cornucopia (Solid State, 1969)

With Jimmy Heath

• Little Man, Big Band (Verve, 1992)

With Bobby Previte

• The 23 Constellations of Joan Miró (Tzadik Records, 2002)

With Jeremy Steig

• Firefly (CTI, 1977)

With Others

• Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, A Love Supreme, 2005
• Cold Feet, Cold Feet plays Jazz Feet, 2003
• Bob Belden, Black Dahlia, 2001
• Manhattan Jazz Quintet, I Got Rhythm, 2001
• Teo Macero, Impressions of Miles Davis, 2001
• Ray Anderson, Don’t Mow Your Lawn, 1999
• Trumpet Legacy — Various Artists featuring Lew Soloff, Nicholas Payton, Tom Harrell and Eddie Henderson (musician), 1998
• Giovanni Hidalgo, Time Shifter, 1996
• Rob Mounsey‘s Flying Monkey Orchestra, Mango Theory, 1995
• Flying Monkey Orchestra, Back In The Pool, 1995
• Various Artists, Jazz At Lincoln Center — They Came to Swing, 1994
• Ray Anderson’s Pocket Brass, Where Home Is, 1994
• Giovanni Hidalgo, Worldwide, 1993
• Daniel Schnyder, Mythology, 1992
• Manhattan Jazz Quintet, Manteca, 1992
• Charlie Musselwhite, Signature, 1991
• Teresa Brewer, Memories of Louis, 1991
• Marianne Faithfull, Blazing Away 1990
• Danny Gottlieb, Whirlwind, 1989
• Hilton Ruiz, Strut, 1988
• Hilton Ruiz, Something Grand, 1986
• Frank Sinatra, L.A. Is My Lady, 1984
• Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature (1980) with George Russell
• Michael Franks, Tiger In The Rain, 1979
• Grant Green, Easy, 1978
• Various Artists, The Atlantic Family Live in Montreaux, 1977
• Gil Evans, Priestess, 1977
• Gil Evans, Orchestra Plays The Music of Jimi Hendrix, 1974
• Barry Miles, Barry Miles, 1970
• Art Garfunkel, Scissors cut, 1981

§References[edit]

§External links[edit]

• Lew Soloff at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Website Lew Soloff
• Video: Lew Soloff playing Bach’s “Air on a G String” on YouTube
• Lew Soloff at AllMusic
• Hollywood.com
• Jazz Trumpets
• Artists direct
• Images of Lew
• Batesmeyer
• Jazz Times
• Mtv.com
• VH1 Biography