By Cynthia Kirk

Broadcast: October 17, 2004

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VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Shirley Griffith with the VOA Special English program PEOPLE IN

AMERICA. Today, we tell about pianist John Lewis. He created one of one of

the most famous jazz groups in America, the Modern Jazz Quartet.

VOICE ONE:

John Lewis was known for his creativity. He was a skilled piano player and

musical director of the Modern Jazz Quartet for almost fifty years. He wrote

and arranged all the music for the small group. Mister Lewis was responsible

for the group's sound and its identity.

John Lewis was interested in jazz, blues and bebob, a music with a great deal

of energy. Yet he was also greatly influenced by his training in European

classical music. Classical music is expressive and intense, but is also

structured. He thought jazz should be presented the same way.

John Lewis combined classical music with traditional jazz to create songs for

himself and the three other members of his quartet. He believed music should

be simple and clear, yet played in a meaningful way. Here is one of the

Modern Jazz Quartet's big hits, "Django."

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VOICE TWO:

John Lewis was greatly influenced by the piano style of the famous jazz

bandleader, Count Basie. Like Basie, Lewis believed in making every note of

music count. He depended as much on silence as he did on notes to get his

message across.

John Lewis often used a form of music called fugue. Fugue is a series of

opposing melodies used to create a complex effect. Mister Lewis also combined

written music with music that the group invented as it went along.

This new kind of jazz attracted both lovers of jazz and classical music. It

also appealed to people who did not necessarily like jazz. Here is an example

of fugue in the song "Alexander's Fugue."

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VOICE ONE:

The Modern Jazz Quartet included John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and

Connie Kay. The group made its first recording in nineteen fifty-two. And

they continued to play together, with a seven year break, until nineteen

ninety-nine.

John Lewis was as concerned about appearances as he was about the music. The

musicians had to dress well for every performance. They played mostly in

concert halls instead of small dance clubs. Lewis believed jazz should

receive the same respect as classical music.

VOICE TWO:

John Lewis was born in La Grange, Illinois, in nineteen twenty. He grew up in

Albuquerque, New Mexico. He started playing the piano when he was seven. As a

teenager, he played professionally in churches around Albuquerque. He soon

was playing in local dance halls.

Lewis studied anthropology and music at the University of New Mexico. In

nineteen forty-two, he joined the Army and served in Europe during World War

Two.

After the war, Lewis moved to New York City and played in Dizzy Gillespie's

big band. He also studied for his master's degree at the Manhattan School of

Music.