Ramsey Lewis
Langue disponible : anglaisPianist and composer Ramsey Lewis has been a major figure in contemporary jazz since the late '50s, playing music with a warm, open personality that's allowed him to cross over to the pop and R&B charts. Initially emerging with his jazz trio, Lewis broke through with his Grammy-winning 1965 album The In Crowd. He further developed his sound, experimenting with synthesizers and funk grooves on work such as 1974's Sun Goddess. He has remained a crossover icon, hosting his own radio and television programs and issuing albums like 2002's Meant to Be with Nancy Wilson, 2011's Taking Another Look, and 2019's VII with his long-running contemporary jazz collective Urban Knights. Lewis was born in Chicago on May 27, 1935 and was introduced to music by his father, who directed the choir at a local church and enjoyed the music of Duke Ellington and Art Tatum. He began studying the piano when he was four years old and was soon accompanying the choir at Sunday services. At the age of 15, he joined a jazz combo called the Cleffs, who played at parties and dances. Lewis was interested in a leaner, more bebop-oriented sound, and when the group splintered after several members joined the military, he formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with two other former Cleffs, bassist Eldee Young and percussionist Redd Holt. The trio became a fixture on the Chicago jazz scene, and they were signed to a deal with Chess Records, releasing their first album, Ramsey Lewis & His Gentlemen of Jazz, in 1956. Lewis and his trio continued to record and tour steadily over the years, building a sizable audience among jazz fans, but their career received a serious boost in 1965, when they recorded a swinging version of Dobie Gray's hit "The In Crowd" at a gig in Washington, D.C. Chess released the track as a single, and it became a sizable pop hit, earning Lewis his first gold record, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance. As Lewis' star rose, he returned to the pop charts in 1966 with versions of "Hang on Sloopy" and "Wade in the Water." Meanwhile, Young and Holt left Lewis' trio to form their own group, Young-Holt Unlimited, and the pianist hired a new rhythm section of Cleveland Eaton on bass and Maurice White on drums. In 1970, White resigned to form his own group, and Morris Jennings signed on as the trio's new percussionist. Lewis continued to record for Chess until 1972, when he moved to Columbia, and as his music developed a more contemporary groove, White's group, Earth, Wind & Fire (also on Columbia), was beginning to enjoy considerable success on the R&B charts. White produced Lewis' 1974 album Sun Goddess, in which he experimented with electronic keyboards for the first time, and several members of EWF played on the sessions; it became a major crossover hit and took Lewis to the upper ranks of the smooth jazz/fusion scene. Lewis would record R&B-influenced material throughout the '70s but continued to explore his roots in more traditional jazz sounds as well as Latin rhythms. In 1983, he went into the studio with Eldee Young and Redd Holt for the album Reunion; in 1984, he collaborated with Nancy Wilson on The Two of Us; in 1988, he recorded with London's Philharmonia Orchestra for the album A Classic Encounter, and in 1989, Lewis and Dr. Billy Taylor cut a set of piano duets, We Meet Again. In 1992, Lewis signed with the successful jazz label GRP Records, and in 1995, he launched the side project Urban Knights, in which he collaborated with a handful of successful crossover jazz stars, including Grover Washington, Jr., Earl Klugh, and Dave Koz. In 1997, Lewis added disc jockey to his résumé, hosting a popular show on Chicago's WNUA-FM that ran until 2009; the show went into syndication in 2006 under the name Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis, and is still on the air. In 2005, Lewis looked back on his roots in gospel music with the album With One Voice, which earned him the Stellar Gospel Music Award for Best Gospel Instrumental Album. In 2007, he was commissioned to write a jazz ballet for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and "To Know Her..." debuted at Highland Park, Illinois' Ravina Music Festival, where Lewis is artistic director of the festival's jazz series and helped found their Jazz Mentor Program. Lewis has also written several pieces for string ensemble and orchestra that have premiered at Ravina; highlights were featured on the 2009 album Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey, his first release from Concord Records. In addition to his work as a performer, composer, educator, and disc jockey, Lewis has received five honorary doctorate degrees, won the National Endowment for the Arts' Jazz Master Award in 2007, and is one of the few noted jazz artists to carry the Olympic Torch, having briefly escorted the flame as it passed through Chicago en route to the 2002 Winter Games. In 2011, he delivered Taking Another Look, a reworking of his classic 1974 electric jazz-funk album Sun Goddess. The album was reissued in a deluxe package with bonus tracks in 2015. Two years later, Lewis was a featured guest on pianist Alan Storeygard's trio album New Directions. In 2019, he rejoined Urban Knights for VII, which featured original songs as well as renditions of classics by John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and the Beatles.
© Mark Deming /TiVo Lire plus
Pianist and composer Ramsey Lewis has been a major figure in contemporary jazz since the late '50s, playing music with a warm, open personality that's allowed him to cross over to the pop and R&B charts. Initially emerging with his jazz trio, Lewis broke through with his Grammy-winning 1965 album The In Crowd. He further developed his sound, experimenting with synthesizers and funk grooves on work such as 1974's Sun Goddess. He has remained a crossover icon, hosting his own radio and television programs and issuing albums like 2002's Meant to Be with Nancy Wilson, 2011's Taking Another Look, and 2019's VII with his long-running contemporary jazz collective Urban Knights.
Lewis was born in Chicago on May 27, 1935 and was introduced to music by his father, who directed the choir at a local church and enjoyed the music of Duke Ellington and Art Tatum. He began studying the piano when he was four years old and was soon accompanying the choir at Sunday services. At the age of 15, he joined a jazz combo called the Cleffs, who played at parties and dances. Lewis was interested in a leaner, more bebop-oriented sound, and when the group splintered after several members joined the military, he formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with two other former Cleffs, bassist Eldee Young and percussionist Redd Holt. The trio became a fixture on the Chicago jazz scene, and they were signed to a deal with Chess Records, releasing their first album, Ramsey Lewis & His Gentlemen of Jazz, in 1956.
Lewis and his trio continued to record and tour steadily over the years, building a sizable audience among jazz fans, but their career received a serious boost in 1965, when they recorded a swinging version of Dobie Gray's hit "The In Crowd" at a gig in Washington, D.C. Chess released the track as a single, and it became a sizable pop hit, earning Lewis his first gold record, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance. As Lewis' star rose, he returned to the pop charts in 1966 with versions of "Hang on Sloopy" and "Wade in the Water." Meanwhile, Young and Holt left Lewis' trio to form their own group, Young-Holt Unlimited, and the pianist hired a new rhythm section of Cleveland Eaton on bass and Maurice White on drums.
In 1970, White resigned to form his own group, and Morris Jennings signed on as the trio's new percussionist. Lewis continued to record for Chess until 1972, when he moved to Columbia, and as his music developed a more contemporary groove, White's group, Earth, Wind & Fire (also on Columbia), was beginning to enjoy considerable success on the R&B charts. White produced Lewis' 1974 album Sun Goddess, in which he experimented with electronic keyboards for the first time, and several members of EWF played on the sessions; it became a major crossover hit and took Lewis to the upper ranks of the smooth jazz/fusion scene. Lewis would record R&B-influenced material throughout the '70s but continued to explore his roots in more traditional jazz sounds as well as Latin rhythms. In 1983, he went into the studio with Eldee Young and Redd Holt for the album Reunion; in 1984, he collaborated with Nancy Wilson on The Two of Us; in 1988, he recorded with London's Philharmonia Orchestra for the album A Classic Encounter, and in 1989, Lewis and Dr. Billy Taylor cut a set of piano duets, We Meet Again.
In 1992, Lewis signed with the successful jazz label GRP Records, and in 1995, he launched the side project Urban Knights, in which he collaborated with a handful of successful crossover jazz stars, including Grover Washington, Jr., Earl Klugh, and Dave Koz. In 1997, Lewis added disc jockey to his résumé, hosting a popular show on Chicago's WNUA-FM that ran until 2009; the show went into syndication in 2006 under the name Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis, and is still on the air. In 2005, Lewis looked back on his roots in gospel music with the album With One Voice, which earned him the Stellar Gospel Music Award for Best Gospel Instrumental Album. In 2007, he was commissioned to write a jazz ballet for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and "To Know Her..." debuted at Highland Park, Illinois' Ravina Music Festival, where Lewis is artistic director of the festival's jazz series and helped found their Jazz Mentor Program.
Lewis has also written several pieces for string ensemble and orchestra that have premiered at Ravina; highlights were featured on the 2009 album Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey, his first release from Concord Records. In addition to his work as a performer, composer, educator, and disc jockey, Lewis has received five honorary doctorate degrees, won the National Endowment for the Arts' Jazz Master Award in 2007, and is one of the few noted jazz artists to carry the Olympic Torch, having briefly escorted the flame as it passed through Chicago en route to the 2002 Winter Games. In 2011, he delivered Taking Another Look, a reworking of his classic 1974 electric jazz-funk album Sun Goddess. The album was reissued in a deluxe package with bonus tracks in 2015. Two years later, Lewis was a featured guest on pianist Alan Storeygard's trio album New Directions. In 2019, he rejoined Urban Knights for VII, which featured original songs as well as renditions of classics by John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and the Beatles.
© Mark Deming /TiVo
-
The 'In' Crowd
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez GRP le 1 janv. 1965
Discothèque Idéale QobuzRamsey Lewis staked his claim to fame with The In Crowd, an instrumental version of Dobie Gray's Top 40 hit. He also was one of the first soul jazz ic ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Sun Goddess
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz fusion & Jazz rock - Paru chez Columbia le 1 janv. 1974
Discothèque Idéale QobuzPublié en 1974, Sun Goddess est un vrai sommet de ce jazz fusion, mi-pop, mi-funky, qui remplira le tiroir-caisse des maisons de disques entre le débu ...
24-Bit 192.0 kHz - Stereo -
Sound Of Christmas
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Argo le 1 janv. 2000
This is a pleasing, if rather brief (29 minutes) Christmas jazz album that was originally quite popular. Reissued on a 1982 LP, the set features the R ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Salongo
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Legacy Recordings le 19 juil. 1976
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Routes
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Columbia - Legacy le 1 avr. 1980
Standard Ramsey Lewis vehicle; good-to-routine pop-flavored and soulful material with some rousing piano solos and some not so energetic. Lewis was in ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Goin' Latin
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez GRP le 1 janv. 1967
8/10 de VolumeHey Mrs. Jones - Summer Samba - One, Two, Three - Free Again - Down By The Riverside - Blue Bongo - I'll Wait For You - Function At The Junction - Spa ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blues for the Night Owl
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Legacy Recordings le 8 août 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Samba De Orpheus: The Bossa Nova Sound of the Ramsey Lewis Trio
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Mach60 Music le 1 juin 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wade In The Water
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Geffen le 1 janv. 1966
With Cleveland Eaton II (bass) and Maurice White (drums) replacing Eldee Young and Red Holt in the trio, Ramsey Lewis alters course just a bit from hi ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mother Nature's Son
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez GRP le 1 janv. 1968
This album was another brainchild of Marshall Chess' regime at Chess Records and, in a sense, is of a piece with Electric Mud by Muddy Waters -- here, ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Columbia Anthology (1972-1989)
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Columbia - Legacy le 23 févr. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ramsey Lewis: Finest Hour
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Verve Reissues le 12 sept. 2000
An in-depth 18-track overview of the career of soul-jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, demonstrating his range from hard bop stylist to his later easy listeni ...
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Three Piece Suite
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Columbia - Legacy le 1 avr. 1981
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don't It Feel Good
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Columbia le 19 juil. 1975
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Les Fleurs
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Legacy Recordings le 11 août 1983
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Recordings: 1957-1960
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Enlightenment le 5 juin 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In Chicago (Bonus Track Version)
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Icon Jazz Series le 4 août 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Upendo Ni Pamoja
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez SMSP le 26 mai 1972
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Movie Album
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Geffen le 18 mars 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Urban Renewal
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Columbia - Legacy le 1 août 1989
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fantasy
Ramsey Lewis
Jazz - Paru chez Columbia - Legacy le 1 oct. 1985
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo