Slice of Life – Larnell Lewis

Family life is made up of moments that seem small until time reveals their significance. For Canadian drummer and composer Larnell Lewis, playing with his children, saying goodbye before a tour, and learning to forgive became the starting points for Slice of Life. Known for his work with Snarky Puppy, Lewis finds room to share the experiences that have reshaped his understanding of fatherhood, marriage, and his own existence.

On “Hide and Seek,” the voice of his daughter Kaya Lewis emerges among the instruments, while Joy Lapps’s steelpan, Rob Christian’s saxophone, and Andrew McAnsh’s trumpet create a musical world where jazz, funk, and Caribbean rhythms come together. Elmer Ferrer’s guitar, the keyboards of Jeremy Ledbetter and Courtenay Frazer, Rich Brown’s bass, and Rosendo “Chendy” León’s percussion broaden the ensemble’s possibilities, with Lewis’s drumming at its center.

Intimacy takes on another dimension in “Hiding Place,” where a recording of rainfall introduces the need to seek refuge from the demands of everyday life. “To Forgive” explores the process of learning to forgive, while “All The Stars,” featuring Wade O. Brown on vocals, evokes the distance between a father and his children when he has to leave home. Lewis turns these experiences into music through vulnerability and an awareness of his own limitations.

The closing piece, “Little Butterfly,” featuring the voice of Joanna Majoko, takes on a particularly moving meaning in light of the album’s dedication to a beloved butterfly and a rainbow yet to come. Slice of Life brings us closer to a period of learning and gratitude in the life of Larnell Lewis.