Larnell Lewis (born March 22, 1984) is a Canadian drummer, composer, producer, and educator. He is best known for playing drums with the Denton, TX-based

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

band

Snarky Puppy Snarky Puppy is an American jazz fusion band led by bassist Michael League. Founded in 2004, Snarky Puppy combines a variety of jazz idioms, rock, world music, and funk and has won five Grammy Awards. Although the band has worked with vocalis ...

Biography

Born in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Lewis started playing drums at age 2 and was first introduced to drums in church. This is where he began to learn to play a variety of styles including

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

, soca, calypso,

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

zouk Zouk is a musical movement and dance pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm, and a loud horn section. Musicians from Mart ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

. He also studied electric bass and piano to further his knowledge of the melodic and harmonic aspects of music making. Lewis’ parents were originally from

St. Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

in the Caribbean. His younger brother, Ricky is the touring drummer for

The Weeknd Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (; born February 16, 1990), known professionally as the Weeknd, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is best known for adding Pop music, pop, electronic music, electronic and hip-hop stylings ...

. Lewis attended

Humber College The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, rebranded as Humber Polytechnic since 2024, is a public Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has three mai ...

, where he was the 2004 recipient of the Oscar Peterson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music, the highest award given by the institution. Lewis was featured on the cover of the September 2016 issue of ''

Modern Drummer ''Modern Drummer'' is a monthly publication targeting the interests of drummers and percussionists. The magazine features interviews, equipment reviews, columns offering advice on technique, and information for the general public. ''Modern Dru ...

'' magazine, alongside fellow

drummers Robert “Sput” Searight and Jason “JT” Thomas. In 2017 Lewis was named one of the Top 35 artists under 35 by

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

, and also received the award for Emerging Jazz Artist from the Ontario Arts Foundation. Lewis served as musical director for a performance during the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

's premiere of the critically acclaimed documentary ''Quincy'', about famed producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

, where he led performances from the likes of

Yebba Abigail Elizabeth Smith, (born January 16, 1995) known professionally as Yebba, is an American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas. She first became known for her YouTube channel and then for her backing vocal performance on Chanc ...

Smith,

Mark Ronson Mark Daniel Ronson (born 4 September 1975) is a British-American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has won nine Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year for Amy Winehouse's album '' Back to Black'' (2006), as well as two for Record ...

, and

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

. In 2018 Lewis released his first solo album, ''In The Moment'', on which he played bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, melodica, percussion, piano, synthesizer and vocals, in addition to writing and producing. In February 2021 Lewis recorded a video for the

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel ''Drumeo'' in which he listened to the

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

song "

Enter Sandman "Enter Sandman" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It is the opening track and lead single from their self-titled fifth album, released in 1991. The music was written by Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich. Vocalist ...

" for the first time, then played the drum part of the entire song after having heard it just once. The video went viral, with over 19 million views as of February 2025.

Session work

As of September 2022, Lewis is an active member of the jazz fusion band

. He has also played with

Laila Biali Laila Biali (born 3 October 1980) is a Canadian jazz singer and pianist. She has been nominated for and won a Juno Award and has worked with Chris Botti and Sting. Career Born in Vancouver, Biali began playing piano at a young age. She stud ...

Fred Hammond Frederick William Hammond (born December 27, 1960) is an American gospel singer, bass guitar player, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most popular figures in contemporary gospel music. He is known for using a variety of differ ...

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as a performer and composer, received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in ...

, Matt Dusk,

Robi Botos Robi Botos is a Hungarian-Canadian jazz pianist. He has recorded several albums as a leader and was the winner of the Concours de Jazz, TD Grand Jazz Award at the 2012 Montreal International Jazz Festival. In 2016, Botos won the JUNO Award for Bes ...

Molly Johnson Margaret Leslie "Molly" Johnson, Order of Canada, OC is a Canadian singer of pop and jazz. Biography Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Johnson's b ...

, Elizabeth Shepherd,

Emilie-Claire Barlow Emilie-Claire Barlow (born June 6, 1976) is a Canadian singer, arranger, record producer, and voice actress. She has released several albums on her label, Empress Music Group, and has voiced characters for animated television series. She perform ...

, Barbra Lica, and Tia Brazda. Lewis's performance on

's 2014 album '' We Like It Here'' was notable because he learned most of the songs on the airplane flight to the Netherlands, having only played two of them before the recording date. He also played on the group's 2016 albums Culcha Vulcha, which won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, and Family Dinner – Volume 2. Lewis has also played on the

JUNO Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

-winning albums ''Clear Day'' by jazz singer

, and ''Root Structure'' by jazz bassist Mike Downes.

Equipment

Lewis is endorsed by Yamaha Drums,

Zildjian The Avedis Zildjian Company, simply known as Zildjian (), is a musical instrument manufacturer specializing in cymbals and other percussion instruments. Founded by the ethnic Armenian Zildjian family in the 17th-century Ottoman Empire, the com ...

, Promark, Evans, D’Addario, and

Latin Percussion {{for, the company, Latin Percussion Latin percussion is a family of percussion, membranophone, lamellophone and idiophone instruments used in Latin music. Instruments Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican styles Folkloric and Santeria * Trap drums * Abaku ...

Discography

Solo

* ''In the Moment'' (2018) * ''Relive the Moment'' (2020) * ''Slice of Life'' (2024)

With Snarky Puppy

* '' We Like It Here'' (GroundUP, 2014) * '' Family Dinner – Volume 2'' (GroundUP, Universal Music Classics, 2016) * '' Culcha Vulcha'' (GroundUP, 2016) * '' Immigrance'' (GroundUP, 2019) * '' Empire Central'' (GroundUP, 2022)

Other artists

(2018), ''Tracing Light'' (2010), ''From Sea to Sky'' (2007) *

– ''Old Soul'' (2018) * Tia Brazda – ''Daydream'' (2018) * Rich Brown – ''Abeng'' (2016) * ''Barbra Lica'' – ''I'm Still Learning'' (2016) *

David Clayton-Thomas David Clayton-Thomas (born David Henry Thomsett, 13 September 1941) is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the American band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Clayton-Thomas began his musi ...

– ''Canadian'' (2016) *

– ''Clear Day'' (2015) * Elizabeth Shepherd – ''The Signal'' (2014) * ''Colleen Allen'' – ''Flashlight'' (2013) * ''Richard Underhill'' – ''Free Spirit'' (2011) *

Anjulie Anjulie Persaud (born May 21, 1983), known by the mononym Anjulie, is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has released one self-titled album, and has collaborated with Diplo, Zedd, Boombox Cartel, Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, TheFa ...

– ''Anjulie'' (2009) * ''Mike Janzen Trio'' – ''Mombâcho'' (2008) * Toronto Mass Choir – ''Going Home'' (2007) * Rhema Worship & Praise – ''The Experience'' (2006)

Awards and recognition

* 2004 recipient of the Oscar Peterson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music. * 2016

, Culcha Vulcha,

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album (previously: Best Pop Instrumental Album) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording arti ...

* 2017 Emerging Jazz Artist Award, Toronto Arts Foundation * 2019

(Nominated), ''In the Moment'', Jazz Album of the Year: Solo *

References

External links

Official site

Snarky Puppy Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Larnell 1984 births Living people Canadian jazz drummers Canadian session musicians Jazz fusion drummers Musicians from Toronto Canadian male drummers 21st-century Canadian drummers Snarky Puppy members 21st-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Black Canadian musicians Canadian people of Saint Kitts and Nevis descent