RealTracks Artist Bio: Lewis Nash

Lewis Nash is one of the busiest drummers in jazz, and he has been called the Most Valuable Player in Jazz for his accomplishments on the bandstand and in the studio, where his discography includes more than 400 sessions with top artists. Although he is widely travelled, Nash is a fixture of the New York scene, and has been since relocating from his hometown of Phoenix in 1981.

He got his start with Betty Carter's trio, and played on her Grammy-winning album "Look What I Got." His next gig was with the legendary Ron Carter, then with Branford Marsalis, and then with a list jazz greats including J.J. Johnson, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Clark Terry, Milt Jackson, Renee Rosnes, and the Tommy Flanagan Trio.

Recording credits include Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Benny Carter, Wynton Marsalis, McCoy Tyner, Bud Shank, Scott Hamilton, Jackie McLean, Cyrus Chestnut, Horace Silver, Hank Jones, John Lewis, Diana Krall, Joe Lovano and Roy Hargrove. A versatile player, Nash been called on to record with with such diverse artists as Natalie Cole, Willie Nelson, Bette Midler, Nancy Wilson, Kenny Rankin, Melissa Manchester and George Michael.

In addition to playing with the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Nash also leads his own groups, ranging from a duo to a septet, and has performed extensively for New York City schools. He has also taught in the Jazz program at the Juilliard School.

He has 5 recordings to his credit as bandleader: Rhythm is My Business (1989), It Don't Mean A Thing (2003 Japanese import), Stompin' At The Savoy (2005 Japanese import), Lewis Nash and the Bebop All-Stars featuring Frank Wess (2008 Japanese Import), and The Highest Mountain (2012).

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