The Lounge Lizards | |
|---|---|
| Origin | New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Avant-garde jazz,no wave |
| Years active | 1978–1998 |
| Labels | EG,Europa,Antilles, Strange and Beautiful |
| Past members | |
The Lounge Lizards were an eclecticNo Wave musical group founded by saxophonistJohn Lurie and his brother, pianistEvan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take onjazz, The Lounge Lizards eventually became a showcase for John Lurie's sophisticated compositions straddling jazz and many other genres. They were active until about 1998 with the Lurie brothers as the only constant members, though many leading New York City based musicians were members of the group.
The group's name was borrowed from Americanslang. Alounge lizard is typically depicted as a well-dressed man who frequents the establishments in which the rich gather with the intention of seducing a wealthy woman with his flattery and deceptive charm.[1]
At its founding, the band consisted of John Lurie and Evan Lurie, guitaristArto Lindsay, bassist Steve Piccolo, and percussionistAnton Fier. Though partly inspired by jazz, John Lurie said he used guitarists in the band "to foil the music when it gets too jazzlike".[2] They released aself-titled album onEG Records in 1981 and produced byTeo Macero. The album included twoThelonious Monk covers, but as one critic noted, "the two aforementioned Monk covers seem a strange choice when you actually hear the band, which has more in common with sonic experimentalists likeOrnette Coleman orSun Ra."[3] John Lurie later said this version of the band broke up due in part to creative tensions exacerbated by conflicts with EG Records executives, and in part due to his growing belief "that what we were doing was maybe phony".[2]
A transitional version of the band for about a year in 1982-83 featured the Lurie brothers, with bassistTony Garnier, trombonistPeter Zummo and drummer Dougie Bowne, augmented by other musicians depending on availability (e.g., bassistFred Hopkins substituted for Garnier during a short tour).[2] This version of the Lounge Lizards did not record a studio album.
By the mid-1980s, a new line-up included bassistErik Sanko, trombonistCurtis Fowlkes, guitaristMarc Ribot, saxophonistRoy Nathanson, and percussionists Bowne and E.J. Rodriguez. This group recorded various live and studio albums and showcased John Lurie's increasingly sophisticated and multi-layered compositions.[4] John Lurie noted their music in this era was inspired by diverse sources such as "James Brown toBalinese music, fromVarèse toColtrane".[2]
The band's 1987 music videoBig Heart was featured on the adult animationThe Brothers Grunt.
In 1998, the band releasedQueen of All Ears on John Lurie'sStrange and Beautiful Music label and had addedSteven Bernstein,Michael Blake,Oren Bloedow,David Tronzo,Calvin Weston, andBilly Martin. "The Lizards' music isn't jazz," said Fred Bouchard ofJazzTimes, "but it is intelligent and rhythmically and harmonically interesting (it ain't rock either, in other words) and, despite the ultra-hip trappings, it has an almost innocent directness that can transcend stylistic prejudice."[5]
The Lounge Lizards have been inactive since about 2000. John Lurie has been occupied with painting,[6] while Evan has worked onThe Backyardigans, a children's show that highlights multiple musical genres.
John Lurie estimates about 80 musicians recorded or performed with the Lounge Lizards.[2] Performers included:
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Lounge Lizards | 1981 |
| No Pain for Cakes | 1987 |
| Voice of Chunk | 1988 |
| Queen of All Ears | 1998 |
| Title | Release date |
|---|---|
| Live from the Drunken Boat | 1983 |
| Live 79-81 | 1985 |
| Big Heart: Live in Tokyo | 1986 |
| Live in Berlin 1991 Vol. I | 1991 |
| Live in Berlin 1991 Vol. II | 1992 |
| International | |
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| National | |
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