Lew Tabackin stands among the rare jazz artists who have cultivated entirely separate musical identities across two instruments. On tenor saxophone his approach is forceful and incisive, echoing the robust phrasing of Sonny Rollins and Don Byas while occasionally recalling Ben Webster in timbre. On flute, by contrast, he commands an intensely lyrical style rooted in Asian classical traditions. Whether featured as principal soloist in the jazz orchestra led by his wife Toshiko Akiyoshi or improvising within smaller ensembles, Tabackin has sustained exceptional command over several decades.
He pursued flute studies at the Philadelphia Conservatory between 1958 and 1962. Following military service he settled in New York in 1965 and performed with Maynard Ferguson, the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra, Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones, and the Tonight Show Band. Between 1968 and 1969 he served as featured soloist with the Danish Radio Orchestra. After his marriage to Toshiko Akiyoshi the couple toured Japan together from 1970 to 1971. Their 1972 relocation to Los Angeles led to the formation of her orchestra, which quickly ranked among the leading jazz big bands thanks to Akiyoshi’s charts and Tabackin’s improvisations. In 1982 they returned to New York, where the ensemble has operated intermittently ever since. Tabackin has since concentrated on varied small-group settings while maintaining his stature as a compelling improviser. He has issued occasional leader dates, most prominently for Inner City during 1974–1977, for Ascent in 1979, and for Concord beginning in 1989.
