We are writing and posting this page a year after Jazz Forever was shut down. Soon after the band was shut down, our leader, Ben Pokluda, passed away.

We have been wanting to write this page for years now, and we are sorry it took so long to make it happen.

We wont write about Jazz Forever as a band here, because we are working on a special page for the band. That will be a part of the new area on the website we are calling the Houston Big Band Conservancy. We will put a link here when that page is done.

Here’s why Eddie Lewis has to say about Mardi Gras Legends:

“Mardi Gras Legends was our last, non-Christmas CD. The idea was to create a product that would be 100% appropriate for Mardi Gras. In a sense it was to serve as advertising for the band. Jazz Forever was the ideal band for Mardi Gras parties. And in fact, we did do one Mardi Gras Party before the band stopped working.

Of course, the album was more than just an ad. I don’t mean to give the wrong impression. Mardi Gras Legends is also a piece of art, showcasing the talents of these world class musicians. Ben Pokluda, the leader of the band, was always bragging about his band, that these guys are world class players. And he was absolutely right!

For me personally, Mardi Gras Legends was a very special recording because I was deeply involved in the creative process. And not just me, but my wife, Pearl, too. Pearl is the one who did all of the artwork for the album.

For my part, it started with writing the charts. These were some of the last arrangements I did for Ben. In the beginning, Ben only wanted me to do what we call “record lifts” (exact transcriptions of the recordings). I think he was concerned that if we had too much freedom, then the music would no longer be what he wanted. But over the course of years, he began to trust me and the other band members enough to give us more room to express ourselves. For this last of the five albums he encouraged me to be more creative in my arrangements. And for that reason, this album is very special to me. Ben gave me an opportunity to do my best work.

I also played the role of producer for this album, and music director. And of course, I’m playing trumpet, too. So you can see I’m deeply invested into this music.

But no matter how I feel about my own accomplishments on this recording, those feelings are bitter sweet, knowing that this was our last recording and that Ben passed away not long after.

I miss Ben. The guys do, too. He was a generous, kind man. Without him, Jazz Forever would never have existed. It is rare for us to see each other on gigs and not talk about Ben and his dream band.”

Eddie Lewis has been recording professionally since the early 80’s. If you are interested in seeing a partial list of all of the recordings he plays on, then we invite you to read his complete resume by clicking HERE.