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Husband and wife expand with a band.

Lewis & Clark band goes from Bach to Blues

"Everything from Bach to blues," says Dana Clark. "Beethoven to Berry."

The female part of the Lewis and Clark Musical Expedition isn't kidding. With husband and super-slick guitarist Kevin Lewis, the two front an evolving band of jazz musicians who can truly ride the range from classical to Chuck Berry. We caught up with the husband-wife team one recent night at the Cove where they were showcasing with three relatively new members of the musical expedition: drummer Brad DiBaggio, bass guitarist Gerald Ramcharan, and saxophonist Rene Ford.

We walked in during a Ramcharan bass solo, and it would be euphemistic to say this guy is a hot bassist. He can make the instrument do everything but dance with the customers. But more on Ramcharan later...

Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dana Clark is the mouthpiece and singing voice of the Lewis and Clark Musical Expedition. If we had room, we could open this up with a book-length screed about the lady.

The singer-songwriter who plays and teaches piano, flute, and guitar worked Chicago clubs, coffee houses, and hotels, and traveled to perform at more than 50 colleges throughout Illinois and Wisconsin before landing in San Antonio.

Her recording career began with an album of original material titled New Shoes. She studied piano with Erwin Helfer, legendary for his traditional Chicago blues style, and Skip Green, one of Chicago's most respected jazz teachers.

She and highly respected guitarist Kevin Lewis hooked up about nine years ago, and much can be said about Kevin, but he will have to wait until we finish the credits on his wife. After moving here, she produced two CDs featuring music from New Thought singer-songwriters including some of her own, Increase the Peace, and Peace is Our Birthright.

Dana Clark was nominated for the 2007 Martin Luther King Distinguished Achievement award for her work with the Peace Choir, which she founded while working with the San Antonio Peace Center. She has published two songbooks of her compositions, and her songs have been selected for publication in several books published by the Unity and Unitarian Universalist churches.

Dana maintains a full teaching schedule of students of piano, guitar, flute, and voice, and gives workshops in vocal technique, keyboard harmony, and improvisation. For seven years she has worked as Music Director at the Unity Church in San Antonio, where she leads the band Synergy.

And for nine years she has been making music with the smooth guitarist she was to marry and start recording with, Kevin Lewis, a picture of both humility and musical perfection, and a musician known within the musical community for his well-trained ear and phenomenal musical intuition. When told that he sounded great as usual following the recent Cove show, Lewis said, "I wasn't as sharp as I would like to be, but I am really trying with these great new musicians."

That is a hoot. Kevin Lewis has worked with everyone from Doug Sahm to Ruthie Foster and Shawn Phillips, and he played the 1996 summer season in a musical production at the Josephine Theater, and performed for the president of Finland with Jartse Tuominen's band at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

"The names seemed to fit together, so it was probably always meant to be," opines Dana Clark, noting that she and husband Kevin have two CDs of original compositions on the market: Trust Your Heart to Lead You Home and Disguised as Poetry.

Ministers and faith leaders from numerous Unity Churches and other denominations as well have heaped praise and applause on the husband-wife duo.

Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett of the Unity Church of San Antonio said, "Dana and Kevin take you with them into uncharted territory of the heart. Laughing, crying, humming along, or sitting alone with eyes closed, you reach new hope and fresh perspective. Every time."

And the kudos from spiritual leaders go on and on and on.

Religion, it has been said, is for people who are afraid to die and go to hell. Spirituality, on the other hand, has been described as medication for those who have already visited the fiery pit. The Lewis and Clark Expedition music might be described as spiritual food for those who are more or less happy with the space they live upon, but at the same time, remain dedicated to making everything better.

Of their two CDs, Dana explains: "These CDs were put together for the New Thought, or Positive Music niche market. The songs reflect music we might do in a liberal church setting or at events that promote peace and social justice issues. However, we do not consider our music to be religious or Christian. Rather, our songs are meant to create positive change in the world and encourage personal growth." She can't wait for her and Kevin to record with the addition of new band members Ramcharan, Ford, and DiBaggio. Never has our repertoire sounded so good," Dana says. "Brad, Gerald, and Rene have the impeccable musicianship and infinite creativity to make even our oldest material sound fresh and alive," Dana said. Kevin calls the new band "awesome."

Saxophonist Rene Ford has a gold-plated pedigree. As a young sax artist in Washington, DC, Ford was inspired by the likes of John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk, and Otis Powell, and his personal style was also shaped by such Minneapolis jazz artists as Sam Favors, Gene Adams, and Donald Washington. Rene has a long history of working in Minneapolis, Miami, and San Francisco as a collaborative artist in projects combining dance, poetry, music, and performance. He served as producer for the shows Reunion, 2001, Artist Quarter, St. Paul, Min., and The American Dream, 2002, Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis.

Lewis and Clark drummer Brad DiBaggio began his pro career in Hawaii in the 1970s. After moving to Texas, he performed with The Kustoms, Voyager, Bogota, and Ken Slaven. While playing with the jazz group Galileo, he co-wrote, arranged, engineered and designed the CD Earthbound.

Funk is what best describes bass guitarist Gerald Ramcharan. He started playing with Philadelphia rhythm and blues bands in the 1970s, and it shows. What Ramcharan does comes naturally, but he is a student of such jazz players as Bill Bynum and Derek Graves.

Leading Lady Dana Clark says of Lewis and Clark: "Our performances remind listeners of the many spices that flavor the gumbo called jazz, for the music speaks eloquently of the experiences that make us all human. And we try to spring a new surprise with every show."

Of his talented wife Dana, Lewis said in a February newspaper interview: "Onstage, Dana is one of my favorite musicians, and I get to enjoy her music a lot. Offstage, I know she has massive tons of good. A lot of times it is from her lips to God's ear. Because I love Dana so much, I would say what makes her happy makes everybody happy."

Of her collaboration with Lewis, Clark said, "Actually, doing something you love with someone you love is the very best of life."


From Action Magazine, August 2009


TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT Husband and wife expand with a band. Lewis & Clark band goes from Bach to Blues "Everything from Bach to blues," says Dana Clark. "Beethoven to Berry." The female part of the Lewis and Clark Musical Expedition isn't kidding. With husband and super-slick guitarist Kevin Lewis, the two front an evolving band of jazz musicians who can truly ride the range from classical to Chuck Berry. We caught up with the husband-wife team one recent night at the Cove where they were showcasing with three relatively new members of the musical expedition: drummer Brad DiBaggio, bass guitarist Gerald Ramcharan, and saxophonist Rene Ford. We walked in during a Ramcharan bass solo, and it would be euphemistic to say this guy is a hot bassist. He can make the instrument do everything but dance with the customers. But more on Ramcharan later... Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dana Clark is the mouthpiece and singing voice of the Lewis and Clark Musical Expedition. If we had room, we could open this up with a book-length screed about the lady. The singer-songwriter who plays and teaches piano, flute, and guitar worked Chicago clubs, coffee houses, and hotels, and traveled to perform at more than 50 colleges throughout Illinois and Wisconsin before landing in San Antonio. Her recording career began with an album of original material titled New Shoes. She studied piano with Erwin Helfer, legendary for his traditional Chicago blues style, and Skip Green, one of Chicago's most respected jazz teachers. She and highly respected guitarist Kevin Lewis hooked up about nine years ago, and much can be said about Kevin, but he will have to wait until we finish the credits on his wife. After moving here, she produced two CDs featuring music from New Thought singer-songwriters including some of her own, Increase the Peace, and Peace is Our Birthright. Dana Clark was nominated for the 2007 Martin Luther King Distinguished Achievement award for her work with the Peace Choir, which she founded while working with the San Antonio Peace Center. She has published two songbooks of her compositions, and her songs have been selected for publication in several books published by the Unity and Unitarian Universalist churches. Dana maintains a full teaching schedule of students of piano, guitar, flute, and voice, and gives workshops in vocal technique, keyboard harmony, and improvisation. For seven years she has worked as Music Director at the Unity Church in San Antonio, where she leads the band Synergy. And for nine years she has been making music with the smooth guitarist she was to marry and start recording with, Kevin Lewis, a picture of both humility and musical perfection, and a musician known within the musical community for his well-trained ear and phenomenal musical intuition. When told that he sounded great as usual following the recent Cove show, Lewis said, "I wasn't as sharp as I would like to be, but I am really trying with these great new musicians." That is a hoot. Kevin Lewis has worked with everyone from Doug Sahm to Ruthie Foster and Shawn Phillips, and he played the 1996 summer season in a musical production at the Josephine Theater, and performed for the president of Finland with Jartse Tuominen's band at the 2002 Winter Olympics. "The names seemed to fit together, so it was probably always meant to be," opines Dana Clark, noting that she and husband Kevin have two CDs of original compositions on the market: Trust Your Heart to Lead You Home and Disguised as Poetry. Ministers and faith leaders from numerous Unity Churches and other denominations as well have heaped praise and applause on the husband-wife duo. Rev. Linda Martella-Whitsett of the Unity Church of San Antonio said, "Dana and Kevin take you with them into uncharted territory of the heart. Laughing, crying, humming along, or sitting alone with eyes closed, you reach new hope and fresh perspective. Every time." And the kudos from spiritual leaders go on and on and on. Religion, it has been said, is for people who are afraid to die and go to hell. Spirituality, on the other hand, has been described as medication for those who have already visited the fiery pit. The Lewis and Clark Expedition music might be described as spiritual food for those who are more or less happy with the space they live upon, but at the same time, remain dedicated to making everything better. Of their two CDs, Dana explains: "These CDs were put together for the New Thought, or Positive Music niche market. The songs reflect music we might do in a liberal church setting or at events that promote peace and social justice issues. However, we do not consider our music to be religious or Christian. Rather, our songs are meant to create positive change in the world and encourage personal growth." She can't wait for her and Kevin to record with the addition of new band members Ramcharan, Ford, and DiBaggio. Never has our repertoire sounded so good," Dana says. "Brad, Gerald, and Rene have the impeccable musicianship and infinite creativity to make even our oldest material sound fresh and alive," Dana said. Kevin calls the new band "awesome." Saxophonist Rene Ford has a gold-plated pedigree. As a young sax artist in Washington, DC, Ford was inspired by the likes of John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix, Thelonious Monk, and Otis Powell, and his personal style was also shaped by such Minneapolis jazz artists as Sam Favors, Gene Adams, and Donald Washington. Rene has a long history of working in Minneapolis, Miami, and San Francisco as a collaborative artist in projects combining dance, poetry, music, and performance. He served as producer for the shows Reunion, 2001, Artist Quarter, St. Paul, Min., and The American Dream, 2002, Intermedia Arts, Minneapolis. Lewis and Clark drummer Brad DiBaggio began his pro career in Hawaii in the 1970s. After moving to Texas, he performed with The Kustoms, Voyager, Bogota, and Ken Slaven. While playing with the jazz group Galileo, he co-wrote, arranged, engineered and designed the CD Earthbound. Funk is what best describes bass guitarist Gerald Ramcharan. He started playing with Philadelphia rhythm and blues bands in the 1970s, and it shows. What Ramcharan does comes naturally, but he is a student of such jazz players as Bill Bynum and Derek Graves. Leading Lady Dana Clark says of Lewis and Clark: "Our performances remind listeners of the many spices that flavor the gumbo called jazz, for the music speaks eloquently of the experiences that make us all human. And we try to spring a new surprise with every show." Of his talented wife Dana, Lewis said in a February newspaper interview: "Onstage, Dana is one of my favorite musicians, and I get to enjoy her music a lot. Offstage, I know she has massive tons of good. A lot of times it is from her lips to God's ear. Because I love Dana so much, I would say what makes her happy makes everybody happy." Of her collaboration with Lewis, Clark said, "Actually, doing something you love with someone you love is the very best of life."