Larnell Lewis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Larnell Lewis
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Lewis at Port Hope Jazz Festival, 2008
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 22, 1984 (age 41) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, drummer, session musician and educator |
| Instruments | Drums |
Larnell Lewis (born March 22, 1984) is a talented Canadian musician. He is a drummer, composer, producer, and teacher. Larnell is most famous for playing drums with the jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy.
Contents
About Larnell Lewis
Early Life and Music
Larnell Lewis was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He started playing drums very early, at just two years old! He first learned about drums in church. There, he learned many different music styles. These included gospel music, soca, calypso, reggae, zouk, and funk. He also studied electric bass and piano. This helped him understand more about how music is put together. Larnell's parents came from St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. His younger brother, Ricky, is also a drummer. Ricky tours with the famous artist The Weeknd.
Education and Awards
Larnell went to Humber College for music. In 2004, he won the Oscar Peterson Award. This is the highest award given by the college for music. In 2016, Larnell was on the cover of Modern Drummer magazine. He was featured with other drummers from Snarky Puppy. In 2017, CBC Music named him one of the top 35 artists under 35. He also won the Emerging Jazz Artist award. This award came from the Ontario Arts Foundation.
Special Performances
Larnell Lewis was the music director for a special event. This event was for the movie Quincy. The film was about the famous producer Quincy Jones. Larnell led performances by artists like Yebba Smith, Mark Ronson, and Chaka Khan. This happened during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Solo Music and Viral Video
In 2018, Larnell released his first solo album. It was called In The Moment. On this album, he played many instruments himself. He played bass, drums, guitar, keyboards, and piano. He also sang and wrote all the songs. In February 2021, Larnell made a video for the YouTube channel Drumeo. In the video, he heard the Metallica song "Enter Sandman" for the first time. Then, he played the drums for the whole song after hearing it just once! This video became very popular. It has been watched over 19 million times.
Music Work
Playing with Bands
Larnell Lewis is a main member of the jazz fusion band Snarky Puppy. He has also played with many other artists. These include Laila Biali, Fred Hammond, Michael Brecker, and Molly Johnson. He has also played with Elizabeth Shepherd, Emilie-Claire Barlow, and Tia Brazda.
Notable Recordings
Larnell's drumming on Snarky Puppy's 2014 album We Like It Here was amazing. He learned most of the songs on the airplane ride to the recording studio! He had only played two of them before. He also played on their 2016 albums. These were Culcha Vulcha and Family Dinner – Volume 2. Culcha Vulcha won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Larnell also played on albums that won JUNO Awards. These include Clear Day by Emilie-Claire Barlow and Root Structure by Mike Downes.
Musical Gear
Larnell Lewis uses special equipment from several companies. He is supported by Yamaha Drums for his drums. He uses Zildjian cymbals. For drumsticks, he uses Promark. He also uses drumheads from Evans and other gear from D’Addario. For percussion, he uses Latin Percussion instruments.
Music Albums
Solo Albums
- In the Moment (2018)
- Relive the Moment (2020)
- Slice of Life (2024)
With Snarky Puppy
- We Like It Here (2014)
- Family Dinner – Volume 2 (2016)
- Culcha Vulcha (2016)
- Immigrance (2019)
- Empire Central (2022)
Other Artists' Albums
- Laila Biali (2018), Tracing Light (2010), From Sea to Sky (2007)
- Robi Botos – Old Soul (2018)
- Tia Brazda – Daydream (2018)
- Rich Brown – Abeng (2016)
- Barbra Lica – I'm Still Learning (2016)
- David Clayton-Thomas – Canadian (2016)
- Emilie-Claire Barlow – Clear Day (2015)
- Elizabeth Shepherd – The Signal (2014)
- Colleen Allen – Flashlight (2013)
- Richard Underhill – Free Spirit (2011)
- Anjulie – Anjulie (2009)
- Mike Janzen Trio – Mombâcho (2008)
- Toronto Mass Choir – Going Home (2007)
- Rhema Worship & Praise – The Experience (2006)
Awards and Special Mentions
- 2004: Oscar Peterson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music.
- 2016: Grammy Award with Snarky Puppy for Culcha Vulcha. This was for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
- 2017: Emerging Jazz Artist Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation.
- 2019: Nominated for a JUNO Award for his solo album In the Moment. This was for Jazz Album of the Year: Solo.
