The basics
Quick facts
Intro
American jazz percussionist and drummer
Gender:
Male
Work field:
Birth:
(New York City, USA)
Instruments:
The details
Biography
Introduction
James "Mingo" Lewis (born December 1940) is an American jazz percussionist and drummer who played with Santana, Al Di Meola (he was a band member for Di Meola's first five albums), and The Tubes.
Playing
Lewis plays congas, bongos, timbales, vibraslap, drums, bells, güiro, gong, Syndrum, bata, tambourine, cowbell and assorted percussion.
Writing
Lewis is credited with composition of one song on each of the first three Di Meola albums: "The Wizard" on Land of the Midnight Sun, "Flight Over Rio" on Elegant Gypsy, and "Chasin' The Voodoo" on Casino (retitled from his composition Aba Cua on his 1976 album Flight Never Ending). For The Tubes album Now Lewis wrote "God-Bird-Change", which he reprised on Di Meola's Electric Rendezvous
Selected discography
As Band Leader
- Flight Never Ending (1976)
As session player
- Carlos Santana - Caravanserai (1972)
- Carlos Santana & Buddy Miles! Live! (1972)
- Return To Forever - Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy (1973)
- Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender (1973)
- Billy Joel - Turnstiles (1976)
- Todd Rundgren - Nearly Human (1982)
- XTC - Skylarking (1986)
With Al Di Meola
- Land of the Midnight Sun (1976)
- Elegant Gypsy (1977)
- Casino (1978)
- Splendido Hotel (1980)
- Electric Rendezvous (1982)
With The Tubes
- Now (1977)
- What Do You Want from Live (1978)
- Remote Control (1979)