AboutSqueezed and oddly burbling lip manipulations, sounding strangely fleshy, were punctuated by the mechanics of the valves being operated, and sometimes left far below as a pure trumpet tone rose in unforced but soaring and somewhat operatic arcs. – John Clare There’s an intensity of interaction and a love of pure, unaffected tone here, along with a slow, folk-affected melodic sense. – canberrajazz.net Reuben Lewis is a multidisciplinary trumpeter, composer and improviser based in Melbourne. Born and raised in Canberra, he completed his Honours in Jazz Performance/Composition at the Australian National University in 2011. Shortly after, he relocated to Berlin where he immersed himself and actively performed within the Echtzeitmusik community. Since basing himself in Melbourne in 2013, Reuben’s unique and diverse musical activity has earned him recognition among the national and global scenes. He leads I Hold the Lion’s Paw and The Inflorescence Ensemble, which both explore the in-betweens of groove music(s), collective improvisation and transient compositional forms. Reuben is a co-leader of the international new-music ensembles The Phonetic Orchestra and SVELIA, as well as a member of free-improvisation groups Palaver and Infinite Ape, contemporary-music ensembles Australian Creative Music Ensemble (ACME) and Unfix, cross-medium improvisation collective THIS Ensemble and nu-soul outfit 30/70. Reuben has released five albums under his own name as well as several others as co-leader. Various collaborations have received funding for creative development and new works:
Recent commissions include:
He was a participant in The Australian Art Orchestra’s Creative Music Intensive (2015 and 2016) as well as the inaugural MAP Delhi Residency (2015) with the Tony Yap Dance Company. His group IHTLP was selected for the inaugural Lebowski’s Development Residency in 2016. |