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Bobby Lewis: Flugel Gourmet (Southport Records)
Though the exceptional Chicago trumpeter/flugelhornist Bobby Lewis has made several elegant records for Southport, his latest stands out. The tonal luster and sustained lyric beauty of his work certainly represent a high point in the underappreciated art of flugelhorn playing. But beyond the exquisite quality of his sound, Lewis offers exceptional arrangements (by himself and others) of classical works by Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Faure and others. Somehow, Lewis and his colleagues (including such estimable Chicago players as Alejo Poveda, Paul Wertico and Pat Mallinger) merge classical and jazz idioms almost seamlessly, perhaps because great musicianship always transcends genre
