Saxophonist Chris Lewis to Perform Oct. 28

The University of Scranton Jazz Band will take the stage Saturday, Oct. 28, with acclaimed tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis joining them as the evening’s guest soloist.

Presented by Performance Music at The University of Scranton, the concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Houlihan-McLean Center, Mulberry Street and Jefferson Avenue. Admission is free and the concert is open to the public. Seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.

At the concert the University’s student jazz ensemble will perform a variety of works that prominently feature Lewis on tenor saxophone, according to Performance Music Conductor and Director Cheryl Y. Boga.

“I met Chris more than a decade ago while guest conducting a PMEA band festival, at which time he was already displaying a prodigious talent that made him very memorable. Then two or three years ago my son was performing at the Sitka Jazz Festival and I got a text from Chris with a photo of him and Joseph grinning like clowns that made me laugh out loud. Turns out they were both playing at the festival, and met each other for the first time in – of all places – Alaska!”

Lewis grew up in Northeast Pennsylvania. The Grammy Award-winning artist has quickly established himself as an in-demand saxophonist and educator. Lewis has played with numerous jazz luminaries, including Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Michael Bublé, Eric Reed, Terell Stafford, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, John Beasley’s MONK’estra, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Mingus Big Band, Count Basie Orchestra and The Gil Evans Project. He can be seen playing saxophone in season five of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and the most recent season of “The Godfather of Harlem.” He was also featured in Levi’s Vintage fall 2022 ad campaign.

Lewis has taught clinics on small and large ensemble playing, as well as saxophone, harmony and improvisation at a number of camps, festivals and universities, and has served as a guest clinician for Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Regional Essentially Ellington Festival. He currently resides in New York City, where he maintains a busy playing and teaching schedule.

The University of Scranton Jazz Band is a 28-member ensemble of big band-style instrumentation, made up of University student musicians from majors spanning the curriculum. They perform five or more times per year, with the majority of their performances open to the public, free of charge, and often featuring a nationally or internationally renowned guest soloist.

For further information on the recital, call 570-941-7624, email music@scranton.edu or visit scranton.edu/music. For more info on Lewis, visit chrislewismusic.com.