David Alan Lewis (born c. 1960) is an Australian-born jazz and pop trumpeter, pianist and composer from

Hamilton, Victoria Hamilton is a city in south-western Victoria, Australia, Victoria, Australia, at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway. The Hamilton Highway connects it to Geelong. Hamilton is in the Australian House of Representatives, ...

. He relocated to France in 1982 where he has joined various groups and toured Europe, Africa and Australia. He has performed and composed musical theatre and cabaret. Lewis has collaborated with singer and accordionist Belle du Berry since 1994 and both joined music group,

Paris Combo Paris Combo is a musical group based in Paris, France, fronted until her death in 2020 by singer Belle du Berry. The group has an eclectic style, blending elements from the traditional French chanson and pop, American jazz and swing, Roma mus ...

, which released five albums from 1998 to 2005. Since 2007, Du Berry and Lewis have toured as a duo and released their debut album, ''Quizz'' in 2009.

Biography

David Alan Lewis grew up in the rural town of

, he began studying piano and performing on trumpet in school bands. His mother, Elaine Lewis, was a music teacher, she later became an author and a book shop owner. Lewis continued his musical studies at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

, he then travelled to Sweden and Paris, to study trumpet in the early 1980s. While studying at the

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

he also premiered new works for trumpet with the collective N.A.M.E. (New American Music in Paris). After graduation, his attraction to jazz and popular music finally got the upper-hand. He co-founded the group Crescent and he began to perform at jazz venues such as the

New Morning ''New Morning'' is the eleventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on October 21, 1970 by Columbia Records. Coming only four months after the controversial ''Self Portrait'', the more concise ''New Morning'' rec ...

, and in a wide range of other professional situations, including a short stint at the

Folies Bergère 150px, Stanisław Julian Ignacy Ostroróg">Walery, 1927 The Folies Bergère () is a cabaret music hall in Paris, France. Located at 32 Rue Richer in the 9th Arrondissement, the Folies Bergère was built as an opera house by the arc ...

. In 1991 he joined

Manu Dibango Emmanuel N'Djoké "Manu" Dibango (12 December 1933 – 24 March 2020) was a Cameroonian musician and songwriter who played saxophone and vibraphone. He developed a musical style fusing jazz, funk, and traditional Cameroonian music. His father w ...

's group and toured extensively through Europe and Africa, including a historic tour of South Africa in 1993. He has also recorded and toured with many Paris-based artists including Italian singer Gianmaria Testa,

Lokua Kanza Pascal Lokua Kanza (born 21 April 1958), known professionally as Lokua Kanza, is a Congolese singer, songwriter, arranger, producer, philanthropist, television personality, and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his soulful, folksy sound, w ...

, John Greaves,

Maurane Claudine Luypaerts, better known as Maurane (; 12 November 1960 – 7 May 2018), was a Francophone Belgian singer and actress. Brought to light in the 1980s with her role as Marie-Jeanne in the second version of the rock opera ''Starmania'', h ...

, Marc Perrone and Arthur H and the Bachibouzouk Band. By 1994, Lewis began to write and perform music for theatre and cabaret in Paris – while performing at the Cabaret Sauvage at la Villette in Paris he first worked with chanteuse Belle du Berry. They began a performing and song writing collaboration which continued with the group

. Du Berry and Lewis became domestic partners. Paris Combo enjoyed international success – their second album "Living-Room" (1999) was a gold-record in France and was nominated for the French equivalent of the Grammy. The group toured extensively outside France, including three Australian tours and twelve in the US. As well as performing with the group, Lewis co-produced their four studio albums. After 2005, Paris Combo has been in hiatus. Since 2007, Lewis and du Berry worked as a duo and released their debut album, ''Quizz'' in September 2009. They have toured Europe and Australia, and performed at the Hollywood Bowl in United States.

References

External links

* http://www.pariscombo.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, David Australian musicians Living people 1960s births Australian emigrants to France People from Hamilton, Victoria Musicians from Victoria (state) Year of birth missing (living people)