Ramsey Lewis: Milestones Of A Legend (1958-1960) 10CD-New $46.99

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Ramsey Lewis

Pianist Ramsey Lewis is among the elite few jazz musicians to have landed pophits
with songs like “The In Crowd“, “Hang On Sloopy“, and “Wade In The Water“.
Born in Chicago in 1930, he learned to play the piano at the age of four and
began his professional career as a fifteen-year-old in the band “The Cleffs“. His
career is reminiscent of that of his five year older colleague, Ahmad Jamal, who
had begun to make a name for himself in Chicago since 1950 and led his own
trio early on, instead of playing piano in many different bands. That is why there
are so few recordings featuring them as sidemen.

His trio with Issac „Redd“ on drums and Eldee Young on bass, the former core
of “The Cleffs”, remained active until 1966. Following their debut „Ramsey Lewis
and his Gentle-men of Swing“, they mastered their success formula, which
consisted of a more grounded approach with strong blues and soul elements
as opposed to the more intellectual Ahmad Jamal. Occasionally the trio was
supported by strings and winds, to make the continuous production of the trio
more varied. But also the few Sideman recordings of Lewis show that he was
a great talent at the piano, no matter in which context. With the vibraphonist

Lem Winchester there was an interesting sound comparison to the modern
jazz quartet in the same cast. Also the very rare recording in the project of the
Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode is a real jewel. That the singer Lorez Alexandria
never made the big breakthrough remains an eternal puzzle, because their
production with Ramsey Lewis can be heard today with great joy. As a versed
hard-bop pianist, Lewis shines in the high-caliber band of drummer giant Max
Roach.

Video: Ramsey Lewis I’ll Remember April 1957