I don't know if the name Eric Lewis rings many bells hereabouts, but I first heard of him a few months ago from a friend who'd seen him play somewhere became a proselytizer. He's a pianist who has just recently played at the White House, accompanied Wynton Marsalis for a time, and won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition. I remember these facts because when I invited him to come play at my house recently, his manager asked that I include them in the introductory remarks I suddenly found myself expected to make. In my nervousness, be it known, I referred to Mr. Lewis as "prodigally" gifted, when I meant prodigiously. The management of this MOG acknowledges and regrets the error.

There's an immense range of moods in this guy's stuff—scary, playful, jazzy, complex, childlike, but all in the key of rock. He loves talking to his audience, he exudes a naïve determination to articulate his deepest subjective impressions of music, and his hands are like hummingbirds with jackhammers. Everyone had a ball, we all stayed up late, and he came back and did an encore performance two nights later. He's playing shows, so keep an eye out for Eric Lewis. This guy's good.

[NOTE: For some reason, the MP3 didn't stay connected the first time I published this up; I think this will have corrected it.]