Aiyana Jones Archive

Gregory Lewis – Organ Monk, The Breathe Suite 

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 27, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Gregory Lewis – Organ Monk, The Breathe Suite – Self-released, 49:32 [5/5/17] ****: One man’s response to violence. Listeners who want to hear cutting-edge Hammond B3 organ jazz, need to be aware of Gregory Lewis, AKA Organ Monk. Lewis’ moniker is well-chosen. He has been known to delve into Thelonious Monk’s music. More importantly the organist, band leader and composer is committed to exploring and developing a distinctive discourse which—like Monk—uses traditional jazz to propel jazz forward. Lewis does this and much more on his latest outpouring, the 49-minute, six-track conceptual album, Organ Monk, The Breathe Suite. Lewis’ previous CDs (Organ Monk, 2010; Uwo in the Black, 2012; and American Standard, 2013) pushed the perception of a jazz organ group to new heights. On his self-released The Breathe Suite Lewis goes even further. The six movements on The Breathe Suite provide a clue to Lewis’ intentions. Four pieces are named after African-Americans killed for no reason, sometimes by white police, other times by confrontational white men. The final two pieces reference the Ausar Auset Society, a Pan-African religious organization. One of the stated purposes of Lewis’ The Breathe Suite is to “serve as an outlet for a deep emotional interface […]