Lewis Michael Soloff (February 20, 1944 – March 8, 2015) was an American jazz

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

, composer, and actor. He was a founding member of the band

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and ...

Biography

From his birth place of New York City, United States, he studied trumpet at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

and the

Juilliard The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named aft ...

School. He worked with

from 1968 until 1973. Prior to this he worked with

Machito Frank Grillo (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo; December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) known professionally as Machito (previously as Macho), was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music ...

Tony Scott Anthony David Leighton Scott (21 June 1944 – 19 August 2012) was a British film director and producer. He made his theatrical film debut with ''The Hunger (1983 film), The Hunger'' (1983) and went on to direct highly successful action and t ...

, Maynard Ferguson, and

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – May 31, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, timbalero, and record producer. He composed dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz music. He was also k ...

. In the 1980s, he was a member of Members Only, a jazz ensemble who recorded for Muse Records. Soloff was a regular member and sub-leader of

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian Americans, Canadian–American jazz pianist, Music arranger, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators i ...

' Monday Night Orchestra beginning in 1983, gaining him experience as a band leader. His debut album recording was supported by Gil. His 2010 recording ''Sketches of Spain'' is a tribute to the classic 1959–60 Miles Davis-Gil Evans collaboration, and he has performed the reconstructed Evans arrangements of

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

's ''Porgy and Bess''. Soloff was also a longtime member of the Manhattan Jazz Quintet and Mingus Big Band. Soloff made frequent guest appearances with jazz orchestras all over the world such as the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (directed by Wynton Marsalis). He was among a handful of trumpeters capable of playing demanding lead trumpet parts while also contributing improvisational solos and of playing baroque, classical, and later orchestral and chamber music styles, which made him an in-demand session player for commercials and soundtracks. Soloff died in 2015, at the age of 71, after suffering a heart attack in New York City.

Discography

As leader

*''Air on a G String'', 2003 - Larry Willis (piano), Francois Moutin (bass), Victor Lewis (drums) *''Rainbow Mountain'', 2000 - Lou Marini (saxophones, flute),

Joe Beck Joe Beck (July 29, 1945 – July 22, 2008) was an American jazz guitarist who was active for over 40 years. Biography Born in Philadelphia, Beck moved to Manhattan in his teens, playing six nights a week in a trio setting, which gave him an opp ...

(guitar),

Mark Egan Mark Egan (born January 14, 1951, in Brockton, Massachusetts) is an American jazz bassist and trumpeter known for his membership in the Pat Metheny Group and the Gil Evans Orchestra. He is co-founder of the jazz fusion band, Elements. Biogra ...

(bass),

Danny Gottlieb Daniel Richard Gottlieb (born April 18, 1953) is an American drummer. He was a founding member of the Pat Metheny Group and was co-founder of Elements with Mark Egan. Biography Gottlieb was born in New York City on April 18, 1953. He took lesso ...

(drums). Also with special guests: Delmar Brown (synthesizers, vocal),

Hiram Bullock Hiram Law Bullock (September 11, 1955 – July 25, 2008) was an American guitarist known mainly for playing in jazz funk and jazz fusion, but he also worked as a session musician in a variety of genres. Biography Bullock was born in Osaka, Ja ...

(guitar), Will Lee (bass), Jeff "Tain" Watts (drums), Miles Evans (trumpet),

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, and comedian who served as David Letterman's musical director, bandleader, and sidekick on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1993) and ''Late Show with D ...

(Hammond B-3 organ) *''With a Song In My Heart'', 1999 Rob Mounsey (arranger), Victor Lewis (drums), Emily Mitchell Soloff (harp), Mulgrew Miller (piano), George Mraz (bass) *''Little Wing'', 1991 - Ray Anderson (trombone), Gil Goldstein (piano, synthesizers, accordion), Pete Levin (organ, synthesizers, vocoder),

(bass), Kenwood Dennard (drums), Manolo Badrena (percussion). Produced by Steve Swallow *''My Romance'', 1989 -

(bass), Janis Siegel (vocal),

(drums), Pete Levin (synthesizers),

Airto Moreira Airto Guimorvan Moreira (born August 5, 1941) is a Brazilian jazz drummer, composer and percussionist. He is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. Coming to prominence in the late 1960s as a membe ...

(percussion), Gil Goldstein (piano, synthesizers), Emily Michell Soloff (harp) *''Speak Low'', 1987 -

Kenny Kirkland Kenneth David Kirkland (September 28, 1955 – November 12, 1998) was an American pianist and keyboardist. Biography Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, United States, Kirkland was six when he first sat down at a piano keyboard. After years ...

(piano), Richard Davis (bass),

Elvin Jones Elvin Ray Jones (September 9, 1927 – May 18, 2004) was an American jazz drummer of the post-bop era. Most famously a member of John Coltrane's quartet, with whom he recorded from late 1960 to late 1965, Jones appeared on such albums as ''My Fa ...

(drums) *''Yesterdays'', 1986 - Mike Stern (guitar), Charnett Moffett (bass),

(drums) *''Hanalei Bay'', 1985

(electric piano), Pete Levin (synthesizer),

(guitar),

Adam Nussbaum Adam Nussbaum (born November 29, 1955) is an American jazz drummer. Early life Nussbaum was born in New York City on November 29, 1955. He grew up in Norwalk (Connecticut), Norwalk, Connecticut, and first played the drums at the age of four. Aft ...

(drums),

(bass), Manolo Badrena (percussion)

As sideman

With

Franco Ambrosetti Franco Ambrosetti (born 10 December 1941) is a jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. He was born in Lugano, Switzerland; his father, Flavio Ambrosetti, Flavio, was a saxophonist who once played opposite Charlie Parker.Tentets'' (Enja, 1985) With Ray Anderson * '' Big Band Record'' (Gramavision, 1994) with the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band * '' Don't Mow Your Lawn'' (Enja, 1994) With

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

* '' Tell It Like It Is'' (A&M/CTI, 1969) * '' Big Boss Band'' (Warner Bros., 1990) With

Carla Bley Carla Bley (born Lovella May Borg; May 11, 1936 – October 17, 2023) was an American jazz composer, pianist, organist, and bandleader. An important figure in the free jazz movement of the 1960s, she gained acclaim for her jazz opera ''Escalator ...

* '' Fleur Carnivore'' (Watt, 1989) * '' The Very Big Carla Bley Band'' (Watt, 1990) * '' Big Band Theory'', 1993 * '' The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church'' (Watt, 1996) * '' 4 x 4'' (Watt, 1999) * '' Looking for America'' (Watt, 2003) With

* ''

'', 1969

Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is an award presented by the The Recording Academy, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the r ...

* '' Blood, Sweat & Tears 3'', 1970 * '' Blood, Sweat & Tears 4'', 1971 * '' New Blood'', 1972 * '' No Sweat'', 1973 With

Hank Crawford Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. (December 21, 1934 – January 29, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist, pianist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was musical director for ...

* '' Night Beat'' (Milestone, 1989) * '' Groove Master'' (Milestone, 1990) With

* '' The Gil Evans Orchestra Plays the Music of Jimi Hendrix'' (RCA, 1974) * '' There Comes a Time'' (RCA, 1975) * ''

Parabola In mathematics, a parabola is a plane curve which is Reflection symmetry, mirror-symmetrical and is approximately U-shaped. It fits several superficially different Mathematics, mathematical descriptions, which can all be proved to define exactl ...

'' (Horo, 1979) * '' Gil Evans Live at the Royal Festival Hall London 1978'' (RCA, 1979) * '' Live at the Public Theater (New York 1980)'' (Trio, 1981) * '' Live at Sweet Basil'' (Gramavision, 1984 986 * '' Live at Sweet Basil Vol. 2'' (Gramavision, 1984 987 * '' Bud and Bird'' (Electric Bird/King, 1986 987 * '' Farewell'' (Evidence, 1986 992 * ''Live At Umbria Jazz Vol. 1 & 2'', 2001 With Maynard Ferguson * '' Ridin' High'' (Enterprise, 1967) With Ricky Ford * '' Hot Brass'' (Candid, 1991) With Michael Franks * '' Tiger in the Rain'' (Warner Bros., 1979) * '' Objects of Desire'' (Warner Bros., 1982) * '' The Camera Never Lies'' (Warner Bros., 1987) With

Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...

* ''

Cornucopia In classical antiquity, the cornucopia (; ), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts. In Greek, it was called the " horn of ...

'' (Solid State, 1969) With

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader. He was the brother of bassist Percy Heath and drummer Albert Heath. Biography Heath w ...

* '' Little Man Big Band'' (Verve, 1992) With O'Donel Levy * '' Simba'' (Groove Merchant, 1974) * '' Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky'' (Groove Merchant, 1974) * ''

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

'' (Groove Merchant, 1976) With

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz Flute, flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet ...

* '' Brazil: Once Again'' (Atlantic, 1977) With

Helen Merrill Helen Merrill (born Jelena Ana Milcetic; July 21, 1929) is an American jazz vocalist. Her first album, the eponymous 1954 recording ''Helen Merrill (album), Helen Merrill'' (with Clifford Brown on EmArcy), was an immediate success and associat ...

* '' Brownie: Homage to Clifford Brown'' (Verve, 1994) With Tisziji Muñoz * ''The Paradox of Completion'' (Anami Music, 2015) With Bobby Previte * ''The 23 Constellations of Joan Miró'' ( Tzadik Records, 2002) With Dakota Staton * '' I Want a Country Man'' (Groove Merchant, 1973) With

Jeremy Steig Jeremy Steig (September 23, 1942 – April 13, 2016)Peter Keepnews, "Jeremy ...

* ''

Firefly The Lampyridae are a family of elateroid beetles with more than 2,000 described species, many of which are light-emitting. They are soft-bodied beetles commonly called fireflies, lightning bugs, or glowworms for their conspicuous production ...

'' (CTI, 1977) With

Sonny Stitt Sonny Stitt (born Edward Hammond Boatner Jr.; February 2, 1924 – July 22, 1982) was an American jazz saxophonist of the bebop/hard bop idiom. Known for his warm tone, he was one of the best-documented saxophonists of his era, recording over ...

* '' Stomp Off Let's Go'' (Flying Dutchman, 1976) With Stanley Turrentine * '' The Man with the Sad Face'' (Fantasy, 1976) * '' Nightwings'' (Fantasy, 1977) With others * Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, ''A Love Supreme'', 2005 *Cold Feet, ''Cold Feet plays Jazz Feet'', 2003 * Bob Belden, ''

Black Dahlia Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – , 1947), posthumously known as the Black Dahlia, was an American woman found murdered in the Leimert Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 1947. Her case became highly publicized owin ...

'', 2001 *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

, '' Aretha'', 1980 * Manhattan Jazz Quintet, ''I Got Rhythm'', 2001 * Teo Macero, ''Impressions of Miles Davis'', 2001 * Ray Anderson, ''Don't Mow Your Lawn'', 1999 *''Trumpet Legacy — Various Artists'' featuring Lew Soloff, Nicholas Payton,

Tom Harrell Tom Harrell (born June 16, 1946) is an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, composer, and arranger. Voted Trumpeter of the Year of 2018 by ''Jazz Journalists Association'', Harrell has won awards and grants throughout his career, including mul ...

and Eddie Henderson, 1998 * Giovanni Hidalgo, ''Time Shifter'', 1996 * Rob Mounsey's Flying Monkey Orchestra, ''Mango Theory'', 1995 * Flying Monkey Orchestra, ''Back In The Pool'', 1995 *Various Artists, ''Jazz At Lincoln Center — They Came to Swing'', 1994 *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

, '' Closeup'', 1975 * Ray Anderson's Pocket Brass, ''Where Home Is'', 1994 * Giovanni Hidalgo, ''Worldwide'', 1993 * Daniel Schnyder, ''Mythology'', 1992 * Marlena Shaw, ''Take a Bite'', 1979 *

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 ...

, '' What Cha' Gonna Do for Me'', 1981 (as Lou Soloff) * Manhattan Jazz Quintet, ''Manteca'', 1992 * Charlie Musselwhite, ''Signature'', 1991 *

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

, ''Memories of Louis'', 1991 *

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (29 December 1946 – 30 January 2025) was an English singer and actress who achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her UK top 10 single " As Tears Go By". She became one of the leading female art ...

, ''Blazing Away'' 1990 * Joss Stone, '' Colour Me Free!'', 2009 *

, ''Whirlwind'', 1989 * Hilton Ruiz, ''Strut'', 1988 * Hilton Ruiz, ''Something Grand'', 1986 * Tramaine Hawkins, ''In the Morning Time,'' 1985 *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

, '' L.A. Is My Lady'', 1984 *'' Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature'' (1980) with George Russell *

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

, '' Am I Not Your Girl?'', 1992 *

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Green has been called one of the "most sampled guitarists." Biography Grant Green was born on June 6, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri, to John and ...

, '' Easy'', 1978 *Various Artists, '' The Atlantic Family Live in Montreaux'', 1977 *

Barry Miles Barry Miles (born 21 February 1943) is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeare ...

, ''Barry Miles'', 1970 *

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...

, '' Scissors Cut'', 1981 *

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

, '' Graceland'', 1986 *

, '' Back to Beck'', 1988 * Fred Lipsius, ''Better Believe It mja Records 1996 *

Betty Carter Betty Carter (born Lillie Mae Jones; May 16, 1929 – September 26, 1998) was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative inter ...

, '' The Music Never Stops'', 2019

References

External links

* – official site * * *
Lew Soloff
image search at

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Lew Soloff
at Artists Direct

at Batesmeyer
Lew Soloff
at Hollywood.com
Lew Soloff
in Jazz Times
Lew Soloff
at Jazz Trumpets
Lew Soloff
at

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

Lew Soloff
biography at

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

*Video: played by Lew Soloff {{DEFAULTSORT:Soloff, Lew 1944 births 2015 deaths American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters American jazz flugelhornists Grammy Award winners American big band bandleaders Juilliard School alumni Jewish American composers Jazz musicians from New York City American jazz bandleaders Mainstream jazz trumpeters Eastman School of Music alumni Swing trumpeters Bebop trumpeters Milestone Records artists Blood, Sweat & Tears members American male jazz musicians White Elephant Orchestra members Manhattan Jazz Quintet members Members Only (band) members 21st-century American Jews