Ed Lewis

Ed Lewis had a rather odd career. In his early days he was considered a strong soloist and yet, because of his excellent reading skills and a wide range, he rarely soloed after the early 1930s. Lewis outlived most of his contemporaries and had long periods where he worked very steadily, but strangely enough, his technical skills doomed him to obscurity. Early on he played baritone horn with Jerry Westbrook's band in Kansas City in 1924, but the following year he wisely switched to trumpet. After brief stints with the groups of Paul Banks and Laura Rucker, Lewis was a key playe...