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Lurie played alto and soprano saxes, Grant Calvin Weston played drums, and Billy Martin performed on congas, timbales, kalimba, and other small percussion. Unlike the tightly-arranged music of the Lounge Lizards, the Orchestra's music was heavily improvised and compositions were credited to all three musicians.
Apr 22, 2024 · John Lurie emerged onto the art scene in the spring of 2004, when he had his first painting exhibition at Anton Kern Gallery. Since then Lurie’s work has been exhibited in esteemed galleries throughout the world. His solo museum exhibits include P.S.1.
JL: I had in my head for very long time a band that could play melodies like classical melodies from the early twentieth century, Varese, Webern, Messiaen, yet it would be improvised and have the hypnotic feel of more exotic musics, like from Bali and Africa.
Grammy-nominated composer John Lurie is perhaps best known for his saxophone playing in the downtown NYC outfit The Lounge Lizards, a fixture of the Big Apple’s avant-garde jazz scene in the 1980s and ‘90s, and a darling of the European festival circuit.
Mar 28, 2024 · He turned this simple, limited, country instrument into something unbelievable. If he’d been a saxophone player he’d have been Charlie Parker. We did this thing on the last Lounge Lizards record called “Three Crowns of Wood”.
- Olivia Swash
Aug 28, 2014 · As mastermind of the eclectic and enchanting Lounge Lizards, the self-taught saxophonist helped cement what came to be known as downtown jazz. On camera, Lurie’s dry witticisms proved the perfect...
Feb 1, 2011 · How strict were you with each player adhering to the composition and how much freedom did you offer the band during the improvised moments? The composed sections were pretty strict.
