Morgan Lewis was a Broadway composer born in Rockville, Connecticut, in 1906, whose primary legacy rests on a composition that became one of jazz's most important standards. In 1940, he wrote "How High the Moon" with lyricist Nancy Hamilton for the Broadway revue Two for the Show. The song's sophisticated chord progression attracted jazz musicians and spawned countless interpretations, including landmark recordings by Ella Fitzgerald and Les Paul. Charlie Parker famously used its chord changes as the basis for his bebop composition "Ornithology," cementing the tune's place in jazz history. Lewis collaborated primarily with Hamilton on a series of Broadway revues. He died in New York City in 1968.
