Fiery piano power playing by a stand-up guy
By Chehui Peh |
June 24, 2012, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Known for his fiery, take-no-prisoners jazz piano, Eric Lewis is making it big with what he calls rock-jazz.
He's hardly the first to cross over and create a hybrid of alternative rock and jazz, but classically trained 39-year-old Lewis has been wowing audiences everywhere with his power playing. ELEW literally stands up and wears armor as he performs.
He recently performed in Shanghai at a charity fundraiser.
The American has a celebrity following that includes the Obamas, Naomi Campbell and Donna Karan, and the list doesn't stop there.
Essentially a technique developed to cross the older traditions of piano with pop and rock energy, rock-jazz is very much influenced by the energy of the rock guitar, Lewis told Shanghai Daily.
"Classical and jazz music have a comparatively small market. Rock-jazz is my personal technique to crossover into the revenue streams of the mainstream world," Lewis said.
He started as a classical pianist and his mother, a classical flutist, introduced him to jazz. "She worried that because of our race, it would be difficult to make it in the classical world," said Lewis, who is black.
His first big break came in 1999 when he won the Thelonious Monk Piano Competition.
"Throughout my twenties I had been an apprentice, this was my first time in the spotlight," he said. But he didn't get a record deal. "None of the record labels signed me, though it was the norm," he recalled.
"It was heartbreaking after all the hard work. I was battling depression and I took my energy and pain into winning but the industry rejected me. If I didn't belong in jazz, where I had tried to belong since I was young, where did I belong?"
After this rejection, Lewis found inspiration in the rock band Linkin Park and its album "Meteora."
"The lyrics of 'Somewhere I Belong' just spoke to my heart. I heard many elements and qualities in the music that I loved - harmonies, powerful percussion, highly emotional screaming, simple yet poignant lyrics … the lyrics were also me. It helped me find what I wanted, somewhere I belonged."
Onstage, Lewis plays without a piano bench, preferring to play with his whole body engaged, like a rock guitarist standing throughout the show. "I actually have to thank the jazz community for that rejection. They made ELEW (his brand) possible."
With covers such as Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit," "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lewis uses his actions and emotions in his performances to "express the passion of joy of the lyrics."
"I take familiar songs and structures and I make magic and enjoyment," Lewis said. "I take jazz, a structured concept with infinite possibilities, and explore infinity."
Despite earlier hard times, Lewis is a big star today.
"Power playing gave me so many opportunities I never would've gotten if I stayed in jazz," he said. But Lewis emphasized that everything he does is technically grounded and rehearsed.
Lewis' next big dream is to break into Hollywood.
"I want to make an independent, low-budget horror movie," he grinned.
He's hardly the first to cross over and create a hybrid of alternative rock and jazz, but classically trained 39-year-old Lewis has been wowing audiences everywhere with his power playing. ELEW literally stands up and wears armor as he performs.
He recently performed in Shanghai at a charity fundraiser.
The American has a celebrity following that includes the Obamas, Naomi Campbell and Donna Karan, and the list doesn't stop there.
Essentially a technique developed to cross the older traditions of piano with pop and rock energy, rock-jazz is very much influenced by the energy of the rock guitar, Lewis told Shanghai Daily.
"Classical and jazz music have a comparatively small market. Rock-jazz is my personal technique to crossover into the revenue streams of the mainstream world," Lewis said.
He started as a classical pianist and his mother, a classical flutist, introduced him to jazz. "She worried that because of our race, it would be difficult to make it in the classical world," said Lewis, who is black.
His first big break came in 1999 when he won the Thelonious Monk Piano Competition.
"Throughout my twenties I had been an apprentice, this was my first time in the spotlight," he said. But he didn't get a record deal. "None of the record labels signed me, though it was the norm," he recalled.
"It was heartbreaking after all the hard work. I was battling depression and I took my energy and pain into winning but the industry rejected me. If I didn't belong in jazz, where I had tried to belong since I was young, where did I belong?"
After this rejection, Lewis found inspiration in the rock band Linkin Park and its album "Meteora."
"The lyrics of 'Somewhere I Belong' just spoke to my heart. I heard many elements and qualities in the music that I loved - harmonies, powerful percussion, highly emotional screaming, simple yet poignant lyrics … the lyrics were also me. It helped me find what I wanted, somewhere I belonged."
Onstage, Lewis plays without a piano bench, preferring to play with his whole body engaged, like a rock guitarist standing throughout the show. "I actually have to thank the jazz community for that rejection. They made ELEW (his brand) possible."
With covers such as Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit," "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lewis uses his actions and emotions in his performances to "express the passion of joy of the lyrics."
"I take familiar songs and structures and I make magic and enjoyment," Lewis said. "I take jazz, a structured concept with infinite possibilities, and explore infinity."
Despite earlier hard times, Lewis is a big star today.
"Power playing gave me so many opportunities I never would've gotten if I stayed in jazz," he said. But Lewis emphasized that everything he does is technically grounded and rehearsed.
Lewis' next big dream is to break into Hollywood.
"I want to make an independent, low-budget horror movie," he grinned.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
