Luigi Waites

Infobox musical artist
Name = Luigi Waites

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Born = birth date|1927|7|10
flagicon|USA Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Birth_name = Lewis Waites
Background = Drummer, percussionist
Origin = Omaha, Nebraska
Genre = Jazz Music
Occupation = Jazz Drummer, vibraphonist

Luigi Waites is a Jazz drummer and vibraphonist from Omaha, Nebraska. He currently performs weekly gigs in the Omaha area both solo and with ensembles such as Luigi, INC. He has been serving the Omaha music community for over 60 years. He has toured Europe twice and performed with Jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Washington. Luigi, INC. has shared the stage with Jean-Luc Ponty, James Brown and Dizzy Gillespie.¹

Biography

Luigi Waites was born Lewis Waites on July 10, 1927 in Omaha, Nebraska. Waites began playing drums at age twelve, and soon after began playing local nightclubs around Omaha. While Waites served in the U.S. Army at Camp Lee, Virginia, he met jazz drummer Elvin Jones, who gave Waites further drum instruction.

In 1960, Waites founded The Contemporaries, a multicultural, independent marching corps that featured jazz rhythms, lyres and modern dance steps. Then, during the 1970s, Luigi Waites was a solo artist in The National School Tours program where he performed in classrooms and school assemblies. Luigi INC., Waites' current band, was formed in the mid-1970's and perform every Sunday night in Omaha.⁴

elected discography

*"Distant Relatives" (2005)

Awards

*1996 Awarded Nebraska Artist of the Year by the Nebraska Arts Council.²
*2005 Inducted into the Omaha Black Music Hall of Fame
*2007 On January 4, 2007, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the first annual Omaha Entertainment Awards.³

Influences

As a drummer, Luigi Waites has been influenced by Buddy Rich, Joe Jones, Louie Belson and Max Roach.¹

[http://www.summerarts.org/06/images/performers/luigi.jpg] |Summer Arts Festival [http://www.netnebraska.org/extras/backstage/images/passLuigiWaites-BellTree-vertsm.jpg] |NET Backstage Pass

References

¹http://net.unl.edu/musicFeat/backstage/passwaites.html

²http://www.nebraskaartscouncil.org/index_html?page=content/PROGRAMS/Awards/AwardsEvents.htm

³http://www.oeawards.net/

⁴http://198.173.255.156/biography/biography.asp?bioindex=1744&category=MusicMakers