Gregory Lewis

Biography

Gregory (Greg) Lewis, widely known by the moniker Organ Monk, is a New York–born keyboardist and Hammond organist who has become a prominent voice on the city’s jazz, blues, and funk scenes.[2][3][5] Raised in a musical family, he first encountered jazz through his late father, pianist David Lewis, whose record collection—especially Thelonious Monk LPs—sparked his fascination with Monk’s sound and compositional language.[2][5] Growing up in Long Island City during the heyday of soul and funk, Lewis absorbed those grooves alongside jazz, eventually beginning formal piano studies at age eleven and working professionally around New York as a teenager.[1][2][5]

Lewis studied in the jazz program at The New School, where pianist Gil Coggins became a pivotal mentor and helped redirect him from piano to the Hammond B-3 organ by sending him to sub on a gig that unexpectedly featured the organ instead of a piano.[1][2][5][7] Deeply inspired by Larry Young’s organ rendition of “Monk’s Dream” and by Jimmy Smith and Sly Stone, he committed himself to exploring Monk’s music on the organ, ultimately adopting the stage name Organ Monk to reflect that mission.[1][2][7] Leading his Organ Monk trio, quartet, and quintet in long-running residencies at Brooklyn’s Night of the Cookers and beyond, he released a series of albums dedicated largely to Monk’s music and to reimagined American songbook material, as well as socially engaged projects such as The Breathe Suite (2017), which responds to racial injustice.[2][7] By the 2010s and 2020s he had been recognized as a key Hammond voice, inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as a “Great Blues Artist from New York” in 2012, named the #1 Rising Star for Organ in DownBeat’s 72nd Annual Critics Poll, and spotlighted for his 2023 Sunnyside Records release Organ Monk Going Home, which was selected as a New York City Jazz Record “Best of 2023” and received four stars in DownBeat’s Editors’ Picks.[1]

Musically, Lewis is known for a vigorous, harmonically probing style that combines the angularity and rhythmic displacements of Thelonious Monk with the swirling textures and dramatic sweeps of classic Hammond organ jazz.[2][7] Critics have described him as both an heir to the 1960s organ innovators and an original voice who pushes Monk’s repertoire into groove‑oriented, blues‑saturated territory, often collaborating with adventurous guitarists and drummers to amplify the music’s bite and intensity.[2] Through his Organ Monk projects and his work with leading vocalists and instrumentalists, he has carved out a distinctive niche in contemporary jazz and blues, extending Monk’s legacy into the organ tradition while contributing to New York’s broader creative music ecosystem.[1][2][7]

Fun Facts

• Lewis earned the nickname and artistic persona “Organ Monk” because of his deep specialization in and long‑term dedication to interpreting Thelonious Monk’s compositions on the Hammond organ.[1][2][7]
• His pivot from piano to Hammond B‑3 happened almost by accident when his mentor Gil Coggins sent him to sub on a gig and he arrived to find a Hammond organ instead of the expected piano, a moment he cites as life‑changing.[1][2][5][7]
• Before stepping out as a leader with his Organ Monk project, Lewis spent years as a first‑call sideman on the New York scene, especially valued by vocalists for his “sensitive and soulful” accompaniment.[2]
• In addition to critical acclaim in jazz, Lewis was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame as a “Great Blues Artist from New York” in 2012, underscoring his strong ties to the city’s blues community as well as its jazz world.[1]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• David Lewis - Greg Lewis’s late father, a pianist whose record collection—especially Thelonious Monk recordings—introduced Greg to jazz and profoundly shaped his musical direction. (Family exposure to Thelonious Monk and other classic jazz recordings rather than formal joint releases.) [Childhood through his father’s lifetime (dates not publicly specified).]
• Gil Coggins - Jazz pianist and teacher at The New School who mentored Lewis and effectively launched his career as an organist by sending him to sub on a gig that featured a Hammond B-3. (Guidance during Lewis’s New School studies and the formative B-3 substitution gig that set him on the organ path.) [During Lewis’s studies at The New School jazz program (late 20th century; exact years not specified).]
• Thelonious Monk - Primary artistic and compositional influence; Monk’s music is the core repertoire and conceptual foundation of Lewis’s Organ Monk projects. (Organ Monk album series and numerous organ reinterpretations of Monk compositions, inspired by recordings such as Monk’s classic Blue Note and Riverside sessions.) [From Lewis’s early listening in childhood and adolescence through his entire professional career.]
• Larry Young - Principal influence on Lewis’s organ conception; Young’s version of “Monk’s Dream” on the album Unity inspired Lewis to dedicate himself to playing Monk on organ. (Larry Young’s “Monk’s Dream” (from Unity), which Lewis cites as a decisive model for his approach to Monk on the Hammond organ.) [Influence from Lewis’s formative organ years onward.]
• Jimmy Smith - Foundational stylistic influence representing the classic soul‑jazz Hammond tradition that underpins Lewis’s organ sound. (Influence via Smith’s body of Hammond B‑3 recordings rather than documented direct collaboration.) [Ongoing influence from Lewis’s early organ development onward.]
• Sly Stone - Source of funk and soul sensibility that informs the groove‑oriented and blues‑driven aspects of Lewis’s playing. (Influence via Sly and the Family Stone recordings, shaping Lewis’s rhythmic and textural approach.) [From Lewis’s youth in the soul/funk era into his mature style.]

Key Collaborators

• Ron Jackson - Guitarist in Lewis’s long‑running Organ Monk trio, a central collaborator in developing Lewis’s organ‑trio sound during his Brooklyn residencies and initial recordings. (Organ Monk debut album and ongoing trio performances, including weekly gigs at Night of the Cookers in Brooklyn.) [Roughly mid‑2000s onward; notably a regular collaborator for at least five years leading up to the debut Organ Monk release.[2]]
• Cindy Blackman (Cindy Blackman Santana) - Drummer who, impressed by Lewis’s playing at Night of the Cookers, sat in with his trio and later performed with him, bringing her Tony Williams–influenced energy to his Organ Monk project. (Performances with Lewis’s trio and participation in Organ Monk contexts (specific album credits not detailed in available sources).) [Began collaborating after meeting at Night of the Cookers; specific years not given but associated with the period surrounding Lewis’s early Organ Monk recordings.[2]]
• Sweet Georgia Brown - Blues vocalist with whom Lewis has frequently worked; he has been a regular accompanist and collaborator in blues and jazz settings. (Notable joint appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2009 and club performances in New York.[1][2]) [Collaborations active by at least 2009 and likely spanning multiple years on the New York blues circuit.]
• Lezlie Harrison - Jazz and soul vocalist who regularly features Lewis for his sensitive, soulful keyboard work. (Club and concert performances in New York; Lewis is cited as a favored accompanist on her projects and appearances.[2]) [Ongoing collaborations around the time of and following Lewis’s Organ Monk debut (late 2000s–2010s).]
• Stephanie McKay - Singer‑songwriter and former member of Brooklyn Funk Essentials who has worked with Lewis, taking advantage of his versatility across jazz, soul, and funk. (Performances and recording collaborations referenced in profiles of Lewis, highlighting his role in McKay’s projects.[2]) [Collaborations in the 2000s–2010s on New York’s funk and soul scenes.]
• Sam Newsome - Saxophonist who featured Lewis on his Groove Project recording 24/7, giving Lewis a prominent role as an organist/keyboardist. (Album 24/7 (Groove Project), where Lewis appears as a featured player.[2]) [Recording released in the 2000s (specific year not provided in the cited profile).]
• Kevin McNeal - Guitarist on Lewis’s 2023 Organ Monk album Organ Monk Going Home, contributing to the trio sound on Lewis’s first Sunnyside Records release. (Organ Monk Going Home (Sunnyside Records, 2023).) [Collaboration documented in 2023 on the Organ Monk Going Home recording and related performances.[1]]
• Nasheet Waits - Drummer on Organ Monk Going Home, bringing a modern, exploratory jazz sensibility to Lewis’s Hammond‑driven interpretations. (Organ Monk Going Home (Sunnyside Records, 2023).) [Collaboration documented in 2023 on the Organ Monk Going Home album and associated engagements.[1]]
• Brianna Thomas - Jazz vocalist who collaborated with Lewis in a high‑profile performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center. (Jazz at Lincoln Center performance in 2018 where Lewis appeared with Thomas.[1]) [Documented collaboration in 2018, with possible additional work around that period.]

Artists Influenced

• [[|]] - No specific students, protégés, or named artists are publicly documented as being directly and explicitly influenced by Gregory Lewis in the available sources; while his Organ Monk concept and Hammond style clearly contribute to the broader contemporary organ tradition, concrete one‑to‑one influence claims cannot be verified.

External Links

• Spotify