Hamptons Jazz Fest Winter Series and Southampton Arts Center will be presenting the Lew Tabackin Trio for an unforgettable night of jazz music. The event will take place on Friday, December 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Southampton Arts Center located at 25 Jobs Lane in Southampton.
Lew Tabackin is a flutist and tenor saxophonist with a unique style and vision that is unlike any other jazz musician.
Lew says, “I started playing the tenor at age 15 in 1955. My very first influence was Al Cohn. Al was revered by many players in Philly, so I followed along. It took me about four hours to approximate his sound—primitively of course.”
Although Lew is now known for his style unlike any of the past jazz greats, he spoke further of his early influences that eventually led him to be able to create his own sound. He says, “Later, Sonny Rollins was an influence, then Trane. At a certain point I was a kind of Coltrane clone, but I felt it was kind of ridiculous to pretend to be a ‘method actor.’ A local trombonist, Leo Fogel, who had a record collection, played me recordings of some of the old tenor masters, Pres, Ben, Byas, Hawk. All were too difficult for me at that time. I was floored. From then on, I tried to absorb the essence of the giants and expand my expression. After that, when I would listen to Sonny Rollins, who became my hero, I understood how to absorb the spirit of the legacy and form a personal style.”
Lew went on to describe how he came into his own as an artist after many years of experimentation and absorbing musicians of the past. He says, “I concentrated on finding myself through these many influences. By the time I reached 40, I began to accept my idiosyncrasies and solidify my approach.”
Lew is an acclaimed flutist and saxophonist who plays in a trio format. He discussed his early connections with the flute, saying, “I wanted to develop a personal approach to the flute. The flute, not being a primary jazz instrument, left room for this idea. I listened to the great classical flute players and was obscured by their sounds. William Kincaid, Julius Baker, JP Rampal, and Tom Nyfenger. I would try to create solos using French impressionistic approaches. Later, I started to employ Japanese shakuhachi zen approaches. I felt at least I made a contribution and pointed a direction for different ways to personalize flute playing.”
Lew Tabackin has been doing the trio format since around 1967. It initially appealed to him after he heard Sonny Rollins play in that context. Lew says, “The combination of freedom and responsibility is what this brings.”
He has never played at the Southampton Arts Center before and is excited about the wonderful evening of jazz in a welcoming community. Lew says, “I’m looking forward to this experience and hanging with the folks in this area.”
Get ready for a night of incredible music unlike any other and to welcome the acclaimed and talented Lew Tabackin Trio to Southampton!
The doors to the event will open at 6:00 p.m. and guests are invited to mingle before the show. A cash bar will be available. Regular admission for the concert is $20 and for SAC members the admission is $15. Click Here For More Info
