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

Hamilton, Victoria Hamilton is a large town 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 Representat ...

. 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 Bénédicte Grimault (8 April 1966 – 11 August 2020), who performed as Belle du Berry, was a French singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the lead singer of the band Paris Combo. Biography She was born in Berry-Bouy, near Bourges, in Franc ...

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 musi ...

, 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 is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb n ...

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

Paris Conservatoire The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as 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 ...

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 is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, and in a wide range of other professional situations, including a short stint at the Folies Bergères. In 1991 he joined Manu Dibango'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 Lokua Kanza (born April 1958) is a singer-songwriter from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is known for his soulful, folksy sound. Biography Lokua Kanza was born Pascal Lokua Kanza in Bukavu in the province of Sud-Kivu, in the eastern p ...

, 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'', ...

, 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

. 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)