Eric Lewis: A Record Business Scandal
Jazz pianist Eric Lewis’s story is the biggest scandal I’ve heard of in the record business. It may be the reason why young artists think record labels are irrelevant.
At 36, this incredible talent cannot get a decent contract from a record label. So he’s decided to go it alone.
It’s not like Lewis is unknown. For one thing, I met him last night at the premiere of “The Messenger” because co-stars Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster are big fans. Lewis counts among his followers seemingly dozens of celebrities. It’s not like he’s lacking for famous endorsements. He’s a favorite at private parties, playing for the likes of Patricia Arquette and husband Thomas Jane in Hollywood for their friends.
This past spring, he played at the White House for the Obamas. Last summer he was the featured guest in Italy at the Ischia Music and Film Festival where he got to play the Police song, “Murder By Numbers,” with Sting.
You’d think with these events on his resume, Eric Lewis would be signed, sealed and delivered to a major record label. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, he’s also paid his dues, touring with Wynton Marsalis, Clark Terry, Betty Carter, Donald Byrd, Ornette Coleman, Elvin Jones and Cassandra Wilson. In 1996, at age 23, he won the Thelonious Monk Piano competition. He’s been a member of the Lincoln Center Orchestra.
It just doesn’t seem to be enough.
