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The Lounge Lizards
The Lounge Lizards
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The Lounge Lizards were an eclectic No Wave musical group founded by saxophonist John Lurie and his brother, pianist Evan Lurie, in 1978. Initially known for their ironic, tongue-in-cheek take on jazz, 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 American slang. A lounge 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]

History

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At its founding, the band consisted of John Lurie and Evan Lurie, guitarist Arto Lindsay, bassist Steve Piccolo, and percussionist Anton 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 a self-titled album on EG Records in 1981 and produced by Teo Macero. The album included two Thelonious 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 like Ornette Coleman or Sun 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 bassist Tony Garnier, trombonist Peter Zummo and drummer Dougie Bowne, augmented by other musicians depending on availability (e.g., bassist Fred 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 bassist Erik Sanko, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, guitarist Marc Ribot, saxophonist Roy 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 to Balinese music, from Varèse to Coltrane".[2]

The band's 1987 music video Big Heart was featured on the adult animation The Brothers Grunt.

In 1998, the band released Queen of All Ears on John Lurie's Strange and Beautiful Music label and had added Steven Bernstein, Michael Blake, Oren Bloedow, David Tronzo, Calvin Weston, and Billy Martin. "The Lizards' music isn't jazz," said Fred Bouchard of JazzTimes, "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 on The Backyardigans, a children's show that highlights multiple musical genres.

Personnel

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John Lurie estimates about 80 musicians recorded or performed with the Lounge Lizards.[2] Performers included:

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]
Title Release date
Lounge Lizards 1981
No Pain for Cakes 1987
Voice of Chunk 1988
Queen of All Ears 1998

Live albums

[edit]
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

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
The Lounge Lizards were an American ensemble founded in 1978 in by brothers on and on . Emerging from the scene, the band blended energy with ironic, eclectic interpretations of , often featuring sophisticated yet playful compositions that satirized tropes. Led primarily by John Lurie, the group's lineup evolved over two decades, incorporating influential New York musicians such as guitarist in its early years, bassist Steve Piccolo, drummer , trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, and later guitarist . Their sound shifted from raw, hectic instrumental pieces in the late and early to more lyrical and fusion-oriented by the 1990s, reflecting Lurie's compositional growth. The band's discography includes key studio albums like their self-titled debut The Lounge Lizards (1981), which captured their jazz edge; Voice of Chunk (1989), noted for its catchy, sardonic tracks; and Queen of All Ears (1998), their final release, which advanced into progressive jazz territory. Live recordings, such as Live 79/81 (1985) and Live in Tokyo/Big Heart (1986), further showcased their energetic performances and evolution from underground act to a respected jazz institution. Active until approximately 1998, The Lounge Lizards influenced subsequent and artists through their innovative genre-blending and Lurie's multifaceted career in music and film.

History

Formation and early years

The Lounge Lizards were founded in 1978 in by brothers on and on piano, emerging as a key act in the city's vibrant downtown music scene. The band's name drew from the American slang term "lounge lizard," referring to a sleazy, well-dressed man who loiters in bars and hotel lounges to seduce women, which the group adopted ironically to underscore their subversive take on lounge jazz conventions. The initial lineup featured on , on , on guitar, Steve Piccolo on bass guitar, and on drums, creating a raw ensemble that fused improvisation with punk energy and experimental noise. This configuration positioned the Lounge Lizards within the movement, a short-lived but influential New York scene in the late that rejected rock conventions in favor of dissonant, interdisciplinary art forms blending music, performance, and visual elements. The band made their live debut on June 4, 1979, at Hurrah club, opening for Peter Gordon’s Love of Life Orchestra, and quickly became regulars at iconic venues like and , where their chaotic, angular sets captivated audiences amid the milieu. These early performances highlighted the group's tense, atonal soundscapes, drawing from structures but distorted through punk's aggression and no wave's edge. In 1981, the Lounge Lizards released their self-titled debut album on EG Records, produced by jazz veteran , who captured the band's hectic instrumental pieces in sessions at in New York. The record showcased tracks such as "Incident on South Street" and "Do the Wrong Thing," emphasizing spiky saxophone lines, erratic rhythms, and ironic covers like "," which established their reputation for blending lounge aesthetics with experimental dissonance. Creative tensions soon led to lineup shifts as the band evolved into the .

1980s activity and lineup changes

Following the release of their debut album in 1981, The Lounge Lizards disbanded in 1982 amid the challenges of sustaining their initial configuration. The group remained inactive for several years before reforming in the mid-1980s with a revitalized ensemble that emphasized expanded instrumentation and compositional depth. This new iteration, centered around bandleader on and his brother on piano, incorporated bassist Erik Sanko, guitarist , saxophonist Roy Nathanson, trombonist Curtis Fowlkes, and percussionist E.J. Rodriguez, marking a departure from the raw, minimalist setups of their early period. The reformed band's first major output was the live album Big Heart: Live in Tokyo, recorded on February 8, 1986, at in and released later that year on . Featuring tracks like "Big Heart," "Hair Street," and "The Punch and Judy Tango," the recording highlighted the group's heightened rhythmic drive and improvisational energy, performed by (), (), Erik Sanko (bass), Curtis Fowlkes (), Roy Nathanson (saxophones), and Douglas Bowne (drums). This performance captured the ensemble's transition toward a more cohesive unit, blending angular structures with punk-inflected grooves. In 1987, The Lounge Lizards issued their second studio album, No Pain for Cakes, also on (distributed via in some markets), which further showcased the evolved lineup including Ribot's distinctive guitar work alongside the core . Composed primarily by the Lurie brothers and Sanko, the album's nine tracks—such as "No Pain for Cakes," "My Trip to ," and "Tango No. 3 (Determination - For )"—integrated rhythms and textures, signaling a shift from their origins to a structured fusion that prioritized melodic interplay and global sonic allusions. This period of lineup stability and label support under enabled the band to refine their foundation into broader, more accessible expressions.

1990s and disbandment

In the , The Lounge Lizards maintained a core lineup that included trumpeter Steven Bernstein and percussionist , alongside drummer Calvin Weston, saxophonist Michael Blake, and others, enabling continued performances and recordings. The band toured extensively in during this period, with notable appearances in cities like and in 1991, capturing their evolving sound in live settings. These tours built on the momentum from their 1989 album Voice of Chunk, which the group promoted through live shows into the early , blending with rhythmic intensity. The band's final studio album, Queen of All Ears, was released in March 1998 on Strange and Beautiful Music, John Lurie's independent label, marking a culmination of their mature compositional style with contributions from Bernstein, Blake, and pianist Evan Lurie. Live recordings from the era, such as those from the 1991 Berlin concerts released in volumes during the early 1990s, documented these European engagements and highlighted the ensemble's dynamic interplay. By the late 1990s, the group gradually disbanded around 1998–2000, as shifted focus to acting roles, including his appearance in Terry Gilliam's 1991 film , and increasingly to painting, which became his primary creative outlet. pursued composition for children's television, notably contributing music to Nickelodeon's starting in the mid-2000s, incorporating diverse global styles. No official reunions or new recordings have occurred since 2000, with members like and Martin advancing solo careers in and . The Lounge Lizards remained active intermittently from 1978 to approximately 2000, leaving a legacy of innovation.

Musical style and influences

Core style elements

The Lounge Lizards' music is characterized by a deliberate fusion of lounge standards from the and with the raw energy of punk, resulting in a satirical "fake " or anti- aesthetic that subverts traditional conventions. This approach recreates cocktail clichés—such as smooth lines and swing rhythms—only to disrupt them with dissonant bursts, angular noise, and abrupt textural shifts, creating a humorous yet confrontational sound that mocks the polished sophistication of mid-century . Central to their style is an unconventional instrumentation that emphasizes saxophone-led melodies, often delivered by , layered over jagged, noise-inflected guitars (as in early contributions from ) and complex, rock-solid rhythms from bass and percussion, eschewing standard ensembles for a punk-infused edge. This setup enables infused with irony, where composed brass elements and reiterative dance beats collide with semi-detached weirdness, twisting nostalgic lounge revival into a vehicle for dissonance and conceptual . Their debut album exemplifies this raw experimentalism, with lo-fi recordings capturing the gritty urgency of New York's downtown scene. Thematically, the band's compositions evoke urban New York grit through surrealistic structures, including extended solos that veer into chaos and sudden dynamic changes that mirror the city's abrasive pulse, blending with spy-noir tension and cartoonish exaggeration. Over time, their style evolved from this initial raw, confrontational experimentalism in the early 1980s to a more polished fusion by the late decade, incorporating broader orchestral elements like , , and in larger ensembles for eccentric, -rooted pieces that juxtapose stasis, , and percussive . Critics have praised this innovation for revitalizing through punk's irreverence, though the overt "fake" posturing has occasionally been critiqued as gimmicky, highlighting the band's provocative balance between homage and subversion.

Key influences and evolution

The Lounge Lizards' sound emerged from the late 1970s No Wave scene in New York, drawing heavily from the experimental punk-jazz fusion pioneered by bands like DNA and James Chance and the Contortions. This influence manifested in their raw, dissonant arrangements that blended abrasive noise with improvisational structures, as seen in early collaborations involving guitarist Arto Lindsay, whose work with DNA emphasized angular rhythms and atonal textures. Additionally, the band integrated elements of angular jazz from Thelonious Monk, evident in their deconstructed covers of his compositions and the spiky, off-kilter phrasing that defined their debut recordings. Funk influences, particularly from , contributed to the band's rhythmic drive, with practitioners like reintroducing soulful grooves and R&B energy into punk's aggression to create a visceral, danceable undercurrent. The New York loft scene further shaped this foundation, providing a bohemian environment where the Lurie brothers and collaborators experimented freely amid the city's underground arts community, fostering a blend of and . Over the decades, the Lounge Lizards evolved from the chaotic punk-jazz of their early output to more structured, groove-oriented compositions by the mid-, as exemplified by the album No Pain for Cakes, which featured tighter ensembles and melodic hooks while retaining experimental edges. By the , their sound shifted toward eclectic fusion, incorporating broader textural layers and subtle integrations, such as Latin percussion rhythms introduced through members like E.J. Rodriguez. This progression reflected growing sophistication in their arrangements, moving from raw dissonance to polished, cinematic hybrids. John Lurie's parallel career in film scoring, including the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for , influenced the band's later work by infusing narrative-driven compositions and atmospheric scoring elements, enhancing their fusion with subtle dramatic tension and thematic cohesion.

Personnel

Founding and core members

The Lounge Lizards were founded in 1978 by brothers and in , emerging from the city's scene as an avant-garde jazz ensemble. , the band's primary bandleader and composer, played alto saxophone and shaped its ironic, genre-blending sound through sophisticated arrangements that drew on traditions while subverting them. He guided the group from its inception until its effective disbandment around 1998, amid his expanding career as an actor in films such as Down by Law (1986), directed by . , serving as co-founder and pianist (occasionally on organ), provided the harmonic foundation for the band's early recordings and performances, remaining a constant presence alongside his brother across the group's phases. Later, Evan transitioned into composition, notably scoring the Nickelodeon series from 2004 to 2010. Among the core members who solidified the band's identity in the 1980s and beyond were trombonist Curtis Fowlkes and saxophonist Roy Nathanson. Fowlkes joined in the early 1980s, contributing his post-bop-inflected work to the ensemble's evolving lineup through the 1990s, before co-founding The Jazz Passengers in 1987. Nathanson, recruited by around 1984, added tenor and to the front line, becoming a longstanding fixture from the mid-1980s onward and helping anchor the group's rhythmic and improvisational drive. The early lineup also briefly included guitarist , who participated in the band's inaugural recordings. songwriting leadership, combined with Evan Lurie's keyboard roles, ensured continuity amid personnel shifts, with the brothers as the sole consistent members over two decades.

Notable collaborators and guests

The Lounge Lizards' rotating lineup and guest contributors exemplified the fluid, experimental ethos of New York's no wave scene, with musicians joining for specific recordings, tours, or eras to infuse distinctive textures into the band's avant-jazz sound. Arto Lindsay served as the band's early guitarist from 1978 to 1981, contributing a raw, dissonant edge drawn from his no wave roots in DNA to the debut album and initial performances. Anton Fier handled drums during this formative period, appearing on the 1981 self-titled debut and helping establish the group's percussive intensity before departing to form the Golden Palominos. In the mid-1980s, joined as guitarist from 1984 to 1989, bringing angular, punk-inflected jazz lines that shaped albums like No Pain for Cakes (1987) and Voice of Chunk (1989). Erik Sanko provided bass during this decade, delivering propulsive rhythms on recordings such as the 1988 Voice of Chunk session, before transitioning to and . E.J. Rodriguez added layered percussion from 1984 to 1992, enhancing the band's polyrhythmic drive on live and studio tracks including the 1989 Voice of Chunk performance. The 1990s saw Steven Bernstein as trumpeter, contributing bold brass arrangements to the band's final phase, notably on Queen of All Ears (1998) and live sets like the 1991 Berlin recordings. Billy Martin played drums in this era, bridging the group's punk-jazz legacy with his improvisational style heard in Lounge Lizards rehearsals and ensembles. Teo Macero, renowned for producing Miles Davis classics, served as producer for the Lounge Lizards' 1981 debut album, lending a polished yet sheen to the sessions. This parade of over two dozen documented collaborators across three decades underscored the band's collaborative spirit, drawing from downtown New York's vibrant pool of improvisers without rigid commitments.

Discography

Studio albums

The Lounge Lizards released four studio albums between 1981 and 1998, transitioning from independent and DIY production to major label support, which allowed for greater experimentation in their avant-garde jazz sound while maintaining a cult audience rather than mainstream commercial breakthrough. Their debut, The Lounge Lizards (1981, Editions EG), consists of 9 tracks recorded live in the studio, capturing the band's raw, hectic no wave jazz style with influences from bebop and punk energy, establishing their reputation in New York's avant-garde scene. No Pain for Cakes (1987, Island Records) features 9 tracks of sophisticated, lighthearted with elements, marking the band's move to a major label and showcasing more structured compositions amid lineup changes. The third album, Voice of Chunk (1989, ), includes 10 tracks blending with experimental and subtle influences, initially released through mail-order before wider distribution, highlighting John Lurie's independent production approach. Queen of All Ears (1998, ), the band's final studio effort with 10 tracks, reflects a mature eclectic fusion of and elements, produced on Lurie's own label and emphasizing intricate ensemble interplay.

Live albums

The Lounge Lizards released several live albums that captured their evolving sound across decades, emphasizing the band's raw improvisational energy and interaction with diverse audiences from New York lofts to international venues. Their earliest live recording, Live 79-81 (1985, ), compiles performances from the band's formative years, featuring 12 tracks such as "I Can't Hardly Walk" and " (The Dancing Gangster)," drawn from cassette tapes of shows between 1979 and 1981 in downtown spaces. This release highlights the group's initial punk-jazz hybrid, with John Lurie's leading chaotic, no-wave-infused sets that reflected the gritty loft scene energy. Following lineup shifts, Live from the Drunken Boat (1983, Europa Records) documents a November 1982 performance in , presenting eight tracks including "Stompin' at the Corona" and a cover of "," showcasing tighter ensemble playing with on guitar and Fred Frith's contributions. Clocking in at around 40 minutes, the album underscores the band's ability to blend noirish themes with in intimate club settings. As the group gained international traction, Big Heart: Live in Tokyo (1986, ) emerged from a February 8, 1986, concert at Space during their tour, featuring seven tracks like "Big Heart" and "The Punch and Judy Tango" that run 44 minutes and demonstrate heightened rhythmic drive with Curtis Fowlkes on and on drums. The recording captures the band's explosive stage presence, with extended solos and audience responsiveness amplifying their fusion of precision and rock intensity. In the 1990s, Live in Berlin 1991, Vol. 1 (1993, Records) preserves a March 1991 residency at 's Quartier Latin, offering six tracks such as "Remember What's in There" and "Evan's Drive to " with the lineup including Michael Blake on and on , emphasizing the group's matured, groove-oriented style amid European festival circuits. A companion volume followed in 1995, further illustrating their improvisational flair and adaptability in larger international settings. These live albums collectively reveal the Lounge Lizards' signature spontaneity, where structured compositions gave way to collective interplay and venue-specific atmospheres, distinguishing their recorded output from studio polish and underscoring influences from and in live contexts. From the raw urgency of early New York gigs to the polished vitality of global tours, the releases document a band that thrived on audience connection and on-stage evolution.

References

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