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Willie Lewis And His Entertainers
Biography
With the popularity of jazz slipping and sliding in its native America, many players have over the years chosen to relocate in Europe. Those that do are following in the footsteps of Willie Lewis. Born William T. Lewis, this historic jazz clarinetist and bandleader grew up in Dallas where he began his music career on the variety theatre circuit. While some of his peers opted for on the job training on tour, Lewis chose the academic route and headed east to study at the New England Conservatory of Music. He had success in this period trying out for an open spot in the Will Marion Cook Orchestra and is sometimes the case with joining bands there were unpredictable long range consequences. Bandleader Sam Wooding wound up hijacking the entire Cook band, honing its sound through a long New York City nightclub engagement before taking the group on tour in Europe.

While every tour has at least some residual impact on a player, the effect of the collaboration with the wide-ranging vagabond Wooding cannot be over-emphasized. From 1925 he took Wooding's Symphonic Syncopators where no jazzmen had gone before, including tours of North Africa and South America as well as working throughout Europe. In 1931 Wooding canned the band and Lewis promptly formed Willie Lewis and His Entertainers, holding over some of the members of the old group and staying put in Europe.
Selected Discography