William Sebastian "Sabby" Lewis (November 1, 1914 in Middleburg, North Carolina[1] – July 9, 1994)[2] was an American jazz pianist, band leader, and arranger.
[3] In the late 1930s and early 1940s, Sabby Lewis and his band were mainstays at notable Boston jazz venues such as the Roseland-State Ballroom, Egleston Square Gardens, and The Savoy Café.
[5] Though Lewis did not tour frequently nor leave Boston often, he did perform on Broadway and in ballrooms and clubs in Manhattan such as Kelly's Stables, the Zanzibar and the Famous Door.
"[7] During World War II, Lewis' orchestra included long-time Ellington tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves,[8] and drummer Alan Dawson spent much of the 1950s in the band.
[9] Other notable alumni of the Lewis band included trumpeter Cat Anderson, Sonny Stitt, Roy Haynes, Al Morgan, Idrees Sulieman and Joe Gordon.