Ramsey Lewis - And His Gentle-Men Of Jazz (1958) [vinyl>flac]

This is LP is the follow-up to Ramsey Lewis’ previous Argo release posted here as Ramsey Lewis - And The Gentle-Men of Swing, in 1956.
It also fills a request for feelingofjaz. Enjoy!

From their first appearance in the Chicago SRO club in the spring of 1957, the Ramsey Lewis Trio was considered, by the public and critics, one of the brightest jazz groups to appear in the jazz scene. Great jazzmen such as Dizzy Gillespie called them “A gust of fresh air on the musical scene,” and Duke Ellington said they were “A bouquet of tonal delight.” A trio with a rare combination of stimulating music and personal magnetism, the group was in the mold of the Modern Jazz Quartet—thoughtful, studious, exploratory, but possessing a quietly throbbing, thoroughly captivating beat.

This out-of-print LP (some of the contents have since come out on CD in the Decca reissue series) was the second one issued under pianist Ramsey Lewis' name and is taken from the same session as his debut. Joined by his longtime sidemen bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt, Lewis plays a melodic brand of swinging bop. This version of "Delilah" (from the film Samson and Delilah) was a minor hit and other highlights include "Please Send Me Someone to Love," "Black Is the Color," "It Ain't Necessarily So" and "On the Street Where You Live." Ramsey Lewis' roots in jazz (which in later years would sometimes be hidden) is very much in evidence throughout this enjoyable trio set. ~ by Scott Yanow, allmusic.com

Argo Records, LP-627, 1958

Recorded 9th February, 1958 in Chicago

Personnel:

Ramsey Lewis - Piano

Eldee Young - Bass

Isaac “Red” Holt - Drums

Track Listing:

A1. Delilah {Victor Young} (5:21)

A2. I Get A Kick Out Of You {Cole Porter} (2:59)

A3. Please Send Me Someone To Love {Percy Mayfield} (4:03)

A4. Brother John {Traditional} (3:50)

B1. Black Is The Color {Traditional} (4:48)

B2. It Ain't Necessarily So {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (2:47)

B3. Seven Valleys {Fred Katz} (5:25)

B4. On The Street Where You Live {Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe} (3:40)