ELEW Plays Sting

Hailing from Camden, New Jersey, Eric Lewis began his musical studies at two years old and would ultimately receive the Rodgers and Hammerstein full merit scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music. In 1999, Eric won the Thelonious Monk International Piano Competition, at the time, the most coveted prize in all of jazz. A three-time GRAMMY nominee, ELEW has solidified his place as one of the most electrifying and innovative pianists of his generation.

A decade into his career, he reemerged as ELEW and began fusing his piano techniques with rock guitar-based ideas and experimental prepared piano methods, generating a powerful crossover brand he coined “Rockjazz.” Over the course of multiple award-winning, critically acclaimed albums, ELEW has re-imagined songs by The Killers, Nirvana, Coldplay, and Michael Jackson, to name a few.

Inspired by the European masters of Baroque Counterpoint, ELEW has innovated the technique of simultaneously executing two independent melodies, which precisely detail harmonic forms bursting with idiomatic verisimilitude and wide-ranging historical references while flawlessly maintaining the idiosyncratic Afrocentric timing at the core of jazz improvisation.

Most recently, ELEW had the honor of opening for the North American leg of Sting’s My Songs 3.0 Tour, dazzling audiences with his electrifying performances and cementing his reputation as a dynamic live artist. He is currently recording ELEW Plays Sting, a highly anticipated album set for release in March that is sure to be a masterpiece.

ELEW Website
Sponsored by Atchison, Barisone & Condotti, LLP
(Ticket Includes 5% City of Santa Cruz Admission Tax)