Renowned Musician Mingo Lewis To Play In Newtown, Two More Times

By Kendra Bobowick

“I’ve got goose bumps! This guy is a musical legend,” said One-Eyed Pig partner Jay Daly. Renowned percussionist Mingo Lewis will make brief appearances in Newtown this weekend, including a few hours at Stone River Grille, 1 Glen Road in Sandy Hook, on Friday, October 28, from 9 pm until midnight, and then for a jam session at The One Eyed Pig, 71 South Main Street, from 5 to 8 pm on Saturday, October 29.

“It’s strange how the whole thing came together,” Mr Lewis admitted this week. Through mutual acquaintances, Mr Lewis met local Newtown musician Joe Proc, who has set up gigs in town. The two will temporarily form the Joe Proc-Mingo Lewis Acoustic Duo for Friday’s performance, and on Saturday Mr Proc’s band Off the Hook (with bassist Steve Clarke), will feature Mr Lewis.

“This is so special,” Mr Proc said this week. Mr Daly is also excited to welcome the renowned percussionist to his bar Saturday.

Although in a hurry to get to a rehearsal Tuesday afternoon, Mr Lewis took a moment to explain that although they are staying in Trumbull briefly, he and his girlfriend are currently relocating from California to New York. He grew up Harlem, surrounded by the music scene. Lewis’s father, the blues singer Jimmy “Babyface” Lewis, was a fixture at The Apollo Theater and his mother was “similarly well-connected in New York’s fertile music scene,” according to his biography (available at MingoLewis.com).

Mingo Lewis has played with Santana, James Brown, Chick Corea, Al Di Meola, Kool and the Gang, Billy Joel, and countless others.

Last Thursday, October 20, Off The Hook played at My Place Restaurant, as the band does every other Thursday. Last week’s performance featured Mr Lewis.

“It was amazing, out of this world,” recalled Mr Proc.

“The response I got was incredible,” said restaurant owner Mark Tambascio. “[Mingo Lewis] was amazing. He was a great guy. It went great.”

Mr Tambascio was surprised, he said, to hear Mr Lewis sing during last week’s performance. He, like many, primarily knows Mr Lewis as a percussionist.

Mr Tambascio also knows that Mr Lewis has just a short window of time before he relocates to New York City, and was glad to temporarily welcome him to My Place thanks to the coordination efforts of Mr Proc.

“If it wasn’t for him this never would have happened,” said Mr Tambascio.

Mr Proc is listed as first credit on John Mayer’s first album (Villanova Junction), has performed on national TV (TNN) with Charlie Daniels, and warmed up for Richie Havens, Jorma Kaukonen and Jonathan Edwards. He teaches from his home studio in Botsford, and performs regularly around the area.

Steve Clarke is “undoubtedly one of the best bass players you will ever hear live,” as stated on a flyer announcing Off The Hook performances. 

Room Of Voices

This weekend, Mr Lewis said, he will likely use his conga drums Friday and a small traditional drum set on Saturday.

 While those performances will be low-key in nature, Mr Lewis hopes to return to the area soon with his full band, Room of Voices.

The band, headed by Mr Lewis, is “a new direction in music,” as stated on RoomOfVoices.com. During an interview on Tuesday, he said, “The show we do is really funky.” The band released a new CD roughly one month ago, which “hits on a lot of properties — I did a lot of soundtracks and things for television, so some has a movie sound and the rest is funky dance.” He described his work as “not like Jamaican, but that kind of groove; the beat is like James Brown mixed with reggae.”

He has a “few cover songs,” but with the music altered, he said the sound is “very funky.”

His musical sound has “evolved into something unique,” he said. “I always wanted something different. I could not care less about what’s out there. I want something different, but something people can latch onto. I want music that makes people want to move.”