Judy Lewis (Jazz, Israel)

A specific selection of notes played at a certain given moment, performed by a certain individual, located at some given location, is merely unique. What makes us call it Art' though, are the additional values of life, such as aesthetic quality, power of communication, hope, dream, spirit-of-play and endurance.
This is what ' Waiting On A New Day' is all about: life. Life through the eyes of an artist, a jazz composer, a pianist , a woman, Judy Lewis... in Jerusalem.
One hears clearly in her music a reflection of this life experience, and her Israeli experience that commenced upon her immigration from the USA to Israel in 1979.
Her classical training started in her native Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and continued in NYC. Drawing on her rich accumulation of concert experience, and relatively new adventures in the jazz world (since 1996), Judy channels both musical idioms into her own original compositional style;
One is aware, on listening, that leaking into her music are also impressions of Jerusalem's scenery viewed through her windows, the universality of its inhabitants and visitors, the vigorous, historically emotional charge in the air, even the special quality of the light there; Heaven for a creative artist, who needs only to be willing to perceive and reflect.
1999 saw the debut release of the Judy Lewis Trio: ' Weaver Of Dreams'. Next came Prayer in Black ft White' (again in Trio format), recorded in 2000 and released by UK label ' Rosco Records in 2001. This, her third release, is for solo piano & keyboards.
Although this is her first completely solo recording (even when overdubbed, it's still all Judy Lewis playing and/or singing), she was heard on her previous albums playing solo piano on several tracks. But Waiting On A New Day' is, unquestionably, a total invasion (by invitation!) into the intimacy of this pianist. 88 keys and 10 fingers... the rest is pure magic. This is what we all expect of the artist. Magic. For this artist, rest assured, it is neither magic, nor coincidence. It is the result of exhausting practice and a meticulous search for sincere, unbiased expression and undoubtable beauty. . .
And in this recording, beauty is all around and in abundance. Judy Lewis portrays in her music qualities of life and living: the soul of nature as observed by the human eye, human aspiration Et hope, the many qualities of a child: symbol of the future, and in the end, the celebration of human compassion.
The only non-original composition on the album is Burt Bacharach's Alfie'. But on listening to Judy's rendition it swiftly becomes her own. Her voice is gracefully added here (aren't you sometimes curious to know how the pianist's voice sounds? I am. Imagine Arthur Rubinstein singing or humming a Chopin Nocturne or Leonard Bernstein singing his Maria or Duke Ellington trying Sophisticated Lady).
'Waiting On A New Day' brings to the world one of Israel's finest pianists today, Judy Lewis, with her rich and nutritious musical gems. She is a great example of the cultural melting pot that is to become a mature, authentic Israeli musical culture.

Danny Karpel is a jazz broadcaster for Galei Zahal, IDF Radio, Tel Aviv, IL and freelance jazz journalist

"Judy lewis enters a room like an electrical storm... foreboding of a force to be dealt with." So said Hadara Levin of Judy Lewis in a 2000 interview in The City Voice.

I first met Judy in late 1999. A family friend had suggested that while on holiday in Israel I look up an interesting Jazz pianist. Judy had just sold her brand new Ford Fiesta for $12,000 to finance the recording and release of her first album, "Weaver of Dreams". That fact should have, in itself, given me a hint as to whom it was I was going to be dealing with. What I found, in fact, was a single Mom of 4 small children, working a 40 hour a week day job, still finding 4 to 5 hours a day to practice and promote her music. Our first conversation was a bantering of jazz drummers' names (I myself, being a drummer), a comparison of their styles and Judy's very strong statements of preference for one over the other. Judy told me that she was in the process of putting together a new Trio lineup since her drummer had been diagnosed with a life threatening illness and her bass player was planning a move to Germany to study music. One more in a long line of hurdles that didn't seem to faze her or dim the conviction she had in the music she created. Little did I know that just one year later would begin a lifelong collaboration as producer for this unique 21st century artist.

Judy Lewis was born, Judy Levine, in Milwaukee, Wis. on February 19th, 1958. She began classical piano studies at age 7 and by age 9 it was clear to all, including herself, that she would be a formidable musical entity in the future. As she put prize after prize under her belt she began to create a name for herself in the Classical world. At age 15 she won the Wisconsin Young Artists Competition, at age 16 the Wisconsin All Stars Competition, and at age 17 the Outstanding Music & Youth Award which included a performance with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Judy continued her studies after high school at the illustrious Columbia University in New York, but her stay there lasted only 2 years. During her first year of college Judy became active in the campus's Jewish community and enthrawled by the spiritual side of Jewish teachings. Little by little Music was replaced by God as Judy was drawn into the tightly closed world of religiousity. After 2 years in university Judy moved to Jerusalem to study religion fulltime. Two years later she married a rabbinical student and left music forever...or so everyone thought.

For 10 years Judy remained a part of the most fervently religious sect in Israel. She had 4 children, worked odd jobs to make money, and tried to keep thoughts of her music buried as deeply as possible for, of course, in that world women were discouraged from playing public roles, particularly in the Arts and any connection to non-Jewish culture was strongly frowned upon. But, somewhere in year 10 Judy became restless. Thoughts of her previous life, her former self, and her one life's dream began to haunt her. In 1995, Judy ended her emotionally stale marriage, left the religious community for good and set out on her own, now a single mother of 4, to salvage her dreams.

With no degree and no job experience except for odd jobs, Judy began to take in private piano students and worked to complete her university degree through correspondence study. A year later she landed a job as music teacher at a local primary school and enrolled in the Rubin Academy of Music to get a B.A. in Music Education and a teaching certification, which she received 2 years later.

Having settled the issues of supporting her family, Judy turned to the difficult task of reclaiming her standing as a professional musician. For 3 years Judy played Classical music, but with little passion, until one day she heard her first Jazz concert given by a visiting pianist from L.A. In seconds she realized that this was the voice she had been looking for. The dream was reborn. The rest is a self composed fairy tale in the making...

Today, Judy Lewis has 4 albums of original Jazz music on the market, distributed worldwide and reviewed by the world's leading Jazz and Music Journals. She is managing director of her own record label, "Visionary Insomniac Records" and regularly tours Europe and Israel, in addition to being a pioneer of Jazz education in Israel. Her fans stretch from Los Angeles to Japan, from Italy to Russia.

Motti Cohen
JMC Productions UK
Freelance Producer UK
motti@uk2.net