The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic No Wave musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase for John Lurie's sophisticated compositions straddling jazz and many other genres. They were active until about 1998 with the Lurie brothers as the only constant members, though many leading New York City based musicians were members of the group. The group's name was borrowed from American

slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...

. A lounge lizard is typically depicted as a well-dressed man who frequents the establishments in which the rich gather with the intention of seducing a wealthy woman with his flattery and deceptive charm.

History

At its founding, the band consisted of John Lurie and Evan Lurie, guitarist Arto Lindsay, bassist Steve Piccolo, and percussionist

Anton Fier John Anton Fier III (June 20, 1956 – September 14, 2022) was an American drummer, producer, composer, and bandleader. He led The Golden Palominos, an experimental rock group active from 1981 to 2010. Family Fier, known as Tony, was born in Cl ...

. Though partly inspired by jazz, John Lurie said he used guitarists in the band "to foil the music when it gets too jazzlike". They released a self-titled album on EG Records in 1981 and produced by Teo Macero. The album included two Thelonious Monk covers, but as one critic noted, "the two aforementioned Monk covers seem a strange choice when you actually hear the band, which has more in common with sonic experimentalists like Ornette Coleman or Sun Ra." John Lurie later said this version of the band broke up due in part to creative tensions exacerbated by conflicts with EG Records executives, and in part due to his growing belief "that what we were doing was maybe phony".John Lurie (2021). The History of Bones, Random House A transitional version of the band for about a year in 1982-83 featured the Lurie brothers, with bassist Tony Garnier, trombonist Peter Zummo and drummer Dougie Bowne, augmented by other musicians depending on availability (e.g., bassist Fred Hopkins substituted for Garnier during a short tour). This version of the Lounge Lizards did not record a studio album. By the mid-1980s, a new line-up included bassist Erik Sanko, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, guitarist

Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, Rock music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...

, saxophonist Roy Nathanson, and percussionists Bowne and E.J. Rodriguez. This group recorded various live and studio albums and showcased John Lurie's increasingly sophisticated and multi-layered compositions. John Lurie noted their music in this era was inspired by diverse sources such as "

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

to Balinese music, from Varèse to Coltrane". The band's 1987 music video ''Big Heart'' was featured on the adult animation '' The Brothers Grunt''. In 1998, the band released '' Queen of All Ears'' on John Lurie's ''Strange and Beautiful Music'' label and had added Steven Bernstein, Michael Blake, Oren Bloedow, David Tronzo, Calvin Weston, and Billy Martin. "The Lizards' music isn't jazz," said Fred Bouchard of '' JazzTimes'', "but it is intelligent and rhythmically and harmonically interesting (it ain't rock either, in other words) and, despite the ultra-hip trappings, it has an almost innocent directness that can transcend stylistic prejudice." The Lounge Lizards have been inactive since about 2000. John Lurie has been occupied with painting, while Evan has worked on '' The Backyardigans'', a children's show that highlights multiple musical genres.

Personnel

John Lurie estimates about 80 musicians recorded or performed with the Lounge Lizards. Performers included: * John Lurie - alto/soprano saxophone * Evan Lurie - piano, organ * Arto Lindsay - guitar * Steve Piccolo - bass *

- drums * Dana Vlcek - guitar * Danny Rosen - guitar * Peter Zummo - trombone * Tony Garnier - bass * Dougie Bowne - drums * Fred Hopkins - bass * Roy Nathanson - saxophone * Curtis Fowlkes - trombone *

- guitar, trumpet, Eb horn * Erik Sanko - bass * Tony Moreno - drums * E.J. Rodriguez - percussion * Brandon Ross - guitar * Al MacDowell - bass * Calvin Weston - drums * Michael Blake - saxophone * Steven Bernstein - trumpet * Billy Martin - percussion * Jane Scarpantoni - cello * Bryan Carrott - marimba, vibes * Michele Navazio - guitar * Oren Bloedow - bass * David Tronzo - guitar * Ben Perowsky - percussion * Tony Scherr - bass * Doug Wieselman - guitar, clarinet * Mauro Refosco - percussion * John Medeski - organ * Kenny Wollesen - drums * Jaime Scott - guitar * Danny Blume - guitar * Clark Gayton - trombone

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lounge Lizards, The Avant-garde jazz ensembles Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 1978 establishments in New York (state) 1998 disestablishments in New York (state) E.G. Records artists No wave groups