Peter Lewy
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE | AFM
Music
Press
http://www.dailysingle.com/ds/2011/02/03/ - DailySingle
from the Valley Recorder, Poughkeepsie, NY October issue 2007
referring to a show at the Flash in the Pan coffee house, Tillson, NY
Sept. 16, 2007
".....although I did find Mr. E 's set of finely crafted
songs well delivered there seemed to be a lack of empathy that
pervaded his outlook which kept me from identifying with the
singer/songwriter enough to be fully captivated. On the other hand,
I found the unique opening act to be quite a pleasant surprise.
Peter Lewy is a New York City based cellist who presents a set
of original songs and improvisations interspersed with a few classical works
and some touches of humor. I was frankly unprepared for the wide
range of sounds and moods which he was able to produce with the
cello without the aid of any electronic effects. Lewy delivers his clever and often touching songs with a fine voice and great stage presence. Although Lewy
demonstrated great virtuosity on the instrument with a traditional
classical sound, I was struck by the sheer number of unique effects
he was also able to call out of the instrument, once again totally
acoustically. His rendition of the Hendrix classic adaptation of the
Star Spangled Banner brought down the house. The effects were set
off nicely by the melodious lyrical pieces, like his Sunrise. Peter uses
the whole range of the cello more then any other cellist this reviewer is
familiar with. Several of the faster paced improvisations featured
techniques I had never seen before on the instrument and which
seemed to produce more notes then I would have ever attributed to just one musician on a traditional acoustic instrument if I had not seen it with my own eyes. My only complaint would be that Mr. Lewy's set, even with the two
encores, came to only about 40 minutes. We all would have
appreciated more of a good thing. Apparently he will be releasing a
CD next year which I will certainly be watching for. I'll keep you
posted."
"...excellent..." Variety Magazine
"...flowing melodious cello playing......" The New York Post
- Valley Recorder, Variety, NY Post
Discography
- Some Other Way Peter Lewy Classical/Jazz Records
- Now and Then Peter Lewy Classical/Jazz Records
Photos
Bio
Cellist Peter Lewy has worked on stage and in the recording studio with hundreds of recording artists, from folkies like The Roches, Frank Tedesso and David Massengill all the way to rockers like Nada Surf, Neon Leon and Mark Johnson. Over his career he has moved effortlessly from the Classical world to the pop and back. He has also collaborated extensively with artists like Jazz legends Jaco Pastorius and Bucky Pizzerelli and Indian sarod virtuoso Vasant Rai. Pastorius called him "the best improvising cellist I've ever heard". He has performed for thousands from the Clearwater festival to such diverse clubs as The Bottom Line, The Blue Note and CBGB's. Peter's music has been heard on radio stations throughout the world. His classical credits include serving as principal cellist and concerto soloist with several NYC metropolitan orchestras in addition to numerous recital and chamber music appearances including at Lincoln Center. In NYC Peter has performed the Elgar and Haydn D major concertos each twice with orchestras. In 2006 his highly personal interpretations of the Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello were praised by pianist Maurizio Pollini. In 2011 Peter released his second solo CD "Some Other Way". This CD features, in addition to 2 of his trademark instrumental cello pieces, 9 songs sung by the cellist. Three of them are original songs and are interspersed with songs by Hendrix, Dylan, the Stones and a few of the great songwriters he has worked with. All the music on this CD as on his first "Now and Then" is performed by Peter himself in the same way as in his acclaimed shows. Comfortable in numerous genres he is respected for tailoring his performances to his audiences tastes while staying within a truly personal and unique style. Give a few of his tracks a listen and experience the variety and quality of his work.
Band Members
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