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Lewine's Tapes a Slam Dunk
By Wayne Thompson
Jazz Scene

This was Lewine's very first album, recorded in `985 at the KiMo Theater in Albuquerque. All six tunes on the cassette were written and arranged by Lewine. The best of the lot is "Nefertiti's Dream," the first cut on Side One. This is an atmospheric piece that opens with a bass cadenza (Many of Lewine's pieces begin with solo lead-ins). Peter Barbeau's soprano sax solo work on this tune is very ear pleasing and exotic. Lewine possesses a dark sound, powerful and foreboding on the mood pieces. The other players in the group are highly skilled and mix it up well with Lewine's compositions. Glen Gross on trumpet and Phil Arnold on bass trombone rate a special mention. Lewine, a native of Wheeling, West Virginia, has a lot to say musically. His mentor is bass legend Milt "The Judge" Hinton. He has played with some of the big names of jazz - Joe Henderson, George Cables, Butch Miles, Richie Cole, Eddie Daniels and Kenny Davern- to name drop a few. My ears are not geared for some of Lewine's flirtations with modern jazz, but Alan gives you a lot more mainstream cool than free-floating noise on this album. Overall he slam-dunked all three. Sonically, these tapes are stunning. Lewine apparently is at home in the mixing room, too. If you can't find these cassettes in record stores, look up Lewine at one of his gigs. Or check in on the website, www.owlsong.com.

Owlsong Jazz, 1986, 1001 3 stars.

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