Various Artists - The History Of Chess Jazz (1996)

History of Chess Jazz is a double-disc set featuring highlights from the label's overlooked jazz catalog. Among the artists included are Kenny Burrell, Woody Herman, Ramsey Lewis, Etta James, Ahmad Jamal, and Zoot Sims. Jazz wasn't one of Chess' strong points, but there is plenty of fine music here, making it a worthwhile sampler. ~ by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AMG. 

Chess Records, GRD-2-812, 1996
Recorded May, 1950 - April, 1967 

Tracklist: 

CD1:
01. Ahmad Jamal - Poinciana {Buddy Bernier, Nat Simon} (9:31)
02. Sonny Stitt, Bennie Green - My Main Man {Bennie Green, Sonny Stitt} (5:59)
03. Red Rodney - Shaw 'Nuff {Ray Brown, Gil Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie} (6:36)
04. The Jazztet - Killer Joe (Benny Golson} (4:14)
05. Zoot Sims - The Man I Love {George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin} (5:16)
06. Roland Kirk - Soul Station {Rahsaan Roland Kirk} (5:28)
07. James Moody, Eddie Jefferson - Parker's Mood {Eddie Jefferson, Charlie Parker} (3:24)
08. Woody Herman - Keep On Keepin' On {Richard Evans} (4:19)
09. Ray Bryant - Gotta Travel On {Paul Clayton, Larry Ehrlich, Dave Lazer, Tom Six} (4:24)
10. Benny Goodman - Benny Rides Again {Eddie Sauter} (4:33)
11. John Klemmer - My Love Has Butterfly Wings {John Klemmer} (3:53)
12. Etta James - At Last {Mack Gordon, Harry Warren} (3:00)
13. Ramsey Lewis - The "In" Crowd {Billy Page} (5:50) 

Time: 66:32 

CD2:
01. Barry Harris - Ornithology {Benny Harris, Charlie Parker} (3:32)
02. James Moody - Last Train From Overbrook {James Moody} (3:03)
03. Gene Ammons - My Foolish Heart {Ned Washington, Victor Young} (2:48)
04. Lorez Alexandria - Baltimore Oriole {Hoagy Carmichael, Paul Francis Webster} (3:11)
05. Oliver Nelson - A Bientot {Billy Taylor} (3:48)
06. Yusef Lateef - Morning [Excerpt] {Yusef Lateef, Sandy Owen} (3:14)
07. Odell Brown - Mellow Yellow {Donovan} (5:28)
08. Art Farmer - Tonk {Ray Bryant} (3:05)
09. Illinois Jacquet - You're My Thrill {Jay Gorney, Burton Lane, Ned Washington} (3:50)
10. Howard McGhee - House Warnin' {Marshall Pau, Paul Winley} (2:31)
11. Chubby Jackson - Tiny's Blues {Al Cohn, Tiny Kahn} (5:01)
12. Clark Terry - Candy {Mack David, Alex Kramer, Joan Whitney} (2:23)
13. Benny Golson - The Touch {Benny Golson} (5:19)
14. Kenny Burrell - Silent Night {Franz Gruber, Joseph Mohr} (2:35) 

Time: 49:54 

Total Time: 01:56:26

Ramsey Lewis & Nancy Wilson - The Two Of Us (1984)

Now this is a great album but, fact is this isn’t a full one duet album between Ramsey Lewis and Nancy Wilson. It's primarily a Ramsey Lewis solo album with his regular band featuring a handful of songs featuring Nancy on vocals. After the generally more 70's styled production of ‘Les Fleurs’ it became time for Ramsey to start more heavily acknowledging the more electronic/synthesizer sounds of the mid 80's. For that he went to none other than Stanley Clarke who the same year was heading in the exact same direction with his ‘Time Exposure’. There are two numbers that really point to that concept better than anything else. Both are electro-funk/break dance type numbers that, while very modern for their time are still rooted strongly in 70's style jazz-funk arrangements and rhythms as opposed to more brittle hip-hop/electronica beats. "Ram" is the faster of the two tunes with some sparse vocals and Ramsey working his Chicago style soul-jazz piano anywhere he finds a place for it. "Breaker Beat”, being more midtempo is the funkier of the two and has some great 80's jazz-funk synthesizer swirls to boot. "Quiet Storm" has a more fluid Grover Washington Jr. style groove and relies heavy of Paul Jackson holding the trio rhythm section into place. "Closer Than Close" is a similarly styled vocal piece but the vocal is by the fine male singer Daryl Coley, not Nancy Wilson. She does show up on three elegantly produced and arranged urban R&B/pop/jazz tunes "Midnight Rendezvous","Slippin' Away”, “Never Wanna Say Goodnight" and the title song, all of which find a balance between the "retro nuevo" sound of Anita Baker and Will Downing later in the decade and what people like Patti Austin and James Ingram was doing around this same time. In that respect it captures urban contemporary vocal pop/jazz as it were in a state of transition. The final cut on the album is an original Ramsey composition "Song With Words [Remembering]” a swirling solo piano number that interestingly enough would've been just about perfect for Nancy's vocals but actually survives more than well on its own without it. As a Nancy Wilson duet album this isn't particularly complete though all of her contributions are strong additions to the album. As it stands this is an excellent Ramsey Lewis album and one of his very finest of the period. ~ Andre S. Grindle, Amazon.com. 

Columbia Records, FC 39326, 1984
Sony Records, SICP 20298, 2011
Recorded & Mixed at Mad Hatter Studio & Sound Castle Studio, Los Angeles, California 

Musicians:
Ramsey Lewis - Concert Grand Piano [Steinway]
Nancy Wilson - Vocals (#5), Lead Vocals (#2,4,7)
Don Freeman - Keyboards (#2,4,5,7,8)
Vassal Benford - Piano (#5,8)
Robert Brookins - Synthesizer (#1,3,6)
Rory Kaplan - Synthesizer (#7,8)
Paul Jackson Jr. - Guitar (#1-8)
Stanley Clarke - Bass (#2), Sitar (#5)
Freddie Washington - Bass (#2,4,7)
John Robinson - Drums (#2,4)
Ricky Lawson - Drums (#7,8)
Daryl Coley - Vocals (#5), Lead Vocals (#8)
Lynn Davis - Backing Vocals (#2,4,7)
Josie James - Backing Vocals (#4)
Frieda Woody, Backing Vocals (#7)
Marcy Levy - Backing Vocals (#7)
Celia Kitengeth - Narrator (#1)
George Del Barrio - Arranger [Strings]
Barbara Hunter, Bill Hughes, Bonnie Douglas, Brenton Banks, Catherine Gotthoffer,
Christine Ermacoff, James Getzoff,, Janet Lakatos, Karen Jones, Murray Adler,
Norman Carr, Paul, Roland Kato, Ronald Folsom - Strings (#1,5) 

Tracks:
1. Ram {Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Clarke} (5:15)
2. Midnight Rendezvous {David Roberts} (3:53)
3. Breaker Beat {Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Clarke, Robert Brookins} (4:17)
4. Slippin' Away {David Foster, David Paich, Leon Ware} (4:45)
5. The Two Of Us {Jeremy Lubbock, Vassal Benford} (4:32)
6. Quiet Storm {Ramsey Lewis, Stanley Clarke} (4:14)
7. Never Wanna Say Goodnight {Ellen Schwartz, Franne Golde, Roger Bruno} (3:15)
8. Closer Than Close {Patrick Henderson, Vassal Benford} (4:56)
9. Song Without Words [Remembering] {Ramsey Lewis} (5:04) 

Total Time: 40:14 

Credits:
Producer - Stanley Clarke
Executive-Producer - Dr. George Butler
Engineer - Erik Zobler
Engineer [Assistant] - Duncan Aldrich, Gary Wagner, Jeff Vaughn, Mitch Gibson, Paul Erikson
Remixing Engineer - Don Hahn
Mastering - Bernie Grundman
Photography - Norman Seef
Design [Album] - John Berg
Liner Notes - Lawrence Tanter, Yvonne Daniels 

The Two Of Us

Ramsey Lewis - Them Changes (1970) [vinyl]

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr. (27th May, 1935 - 12th September, 2022) was a great American jazz composer, pianist, and radio personality. Lewis recorded over 80 albums and received five gold records and three Grammy Awards in his career. His best-known singles include "The In Crowd", "Sun Goddess", and "Wade in the Water". With his passing, here is a relatively unknown ‘Cadet’ records album, which to date has only been released on LP. For this live session, he is joined by guitarist Phil Upchurch, bassist Cleveland Eaton and drummer Morris Jennings. The group is spurred on by the very appreciated audience covering three Lewis compositions and a number of popular tunes. All players arm themselves with an arsenal of ‘Fender' musical instruments. As a result, this performance is truly electrified. Ramsey excels on both piano and Rhodes and Phil intensifies the scene with his exceptional style, both backed by a vibrant rhythm section. The vinyl itself was in OK condition with only a few hardly noticeable artifacts, enjoy! 

Cadet Records, LPS-844, 1970
Recorded 8th & 9th May, 1970 at the Depot, Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Musicians:
Ramsey Lewis - Piano [Steinway], Fender Rhodes, Arranger
Phil Upchurch - Electric Guitar [Fender]
Cleveland Eaton - Electric Bass [Fender]
Morris Jennings - Drums 

Tracks:
A1. Them Changes {Buddy Miles} (6:37)
A2. Drown In My Own Tears {Henry Glover} (7:27)
A3. Oh Happy Day {Edwin Hawkins} (7:16)
B1. Do Whatever Sets You Free {Ramsey Lewis} (7:51)
B2. Something {George Harrison} (5:11)
B3. See The End From The Beginning, Look Afar {Cleveland Eaton, Ramsey Lewis} (6:17)
B4. The Unsilent Minority {Ramsey Lewis} (3:43) 

Total Time: 44:22 

Credits:
Producer - Concept - Ramsey Lewis
Supervisor - Dick LaPalm
Engineer - Reice Hamel
Mastering - George Piros
Photography - Alan Levine
Design, Cover [Illustration] - Dick Fowler

RAMSEY LEWIS - DANCING IN THE STREETS - 1967 (FLAC)

1967
Cadet LPS 794
My Vinyl Rip
Front & Back Covers
DR Value 16
FLAC

Only a little over a year old at the time of recording, this incarnation of the Ramsey Lewis Trio -- Ramsey Lewis, Cleveland Eaton, and Maurice White (later of Earth, Wind & Fire) -- were well on their way to the pristine and symbiotic gel that would define their style. They were, however, still undergoing that process when they laid down this "live" set at San Francisco's Basin Street West club in July 1967. It's that somewhat formative vibe that makes this particular performance such a complete and utter joy. Dancing in the Street is this trio's recorded debut and, across a wide range of covers and styles, it's a captivating portrait of contemporary jazz. The title track, a cover of the Martha & the Vandellas R&B classic, is so smooth and stylish that it nearly outshines the original. "Django," meanwhile, is a delightful tribute to the Belgian Gypsy musician Django Reinhardt. Lewis pays further homage to the greats across his cover of the Billy Taylor classic "Mood for Mendes." Also of note is the Ramsey Lewis Trio's rendition of the country song "You Don't Know Me." Originally a hit for Jerry Vale in 1956, it was revisited in 1960 by Lenny Welch and again in 1962 by Ray Charles, and it's from that great bluesman's version that Lewis took his cue with this wonderful jam. These three musicians are a joy to hear, and it's within their far-reaching vision, and the effortless incorporation of so many styles into contemporary jazz, that they were -- and remain -- among the genre's finest.
....AllMusic Review by Amy Hanson

The Tracks:

01 Dancing In The Street / 02 Mood For Mendes / 03 Struttin' Lightly / 04 You Don't Know Me / 05 Django / 

06 Medley From 'Black Orpheus' / 07 What Now My Love / 08 Quiet Nights (Corcovado)

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)

Ramsey Lewis Trio - Hang On Ramsey! (1966) [vinyl>flac]

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. (born May 27, 1935) began taking piano lessons at the age of four. At 15 he joined his first jazz band, The Cleffs. The seven-piece group provided Lewis his first involvement with jazz; he would later join Cleffs drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio. The trio started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album, Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing, in 1956. By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with The In Crowd, Hang On Sloopy, and Wade in the Water. Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience.

Considering that this album was an obvious follow-up to "The In Crowd," it is surprising that the music is not more commercial; that would happen in the near future. As it was, pianist Ramsey Lewis (assisted as usual by bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt) had another big hit in "Hang on Sloopy," and the set (as with the previous one) was recorded at a club before an enthusiastic crowd. The enjoyable LP also includes a couple of Beatles tunes (their version of "A Hard Day's Night" caught on), "He's a Real Gone Guy," "Billy Boy," and "Hi-Heel Sneakers" among the highlights. This was the final full-length recording by the group before Young and Holt left to form their own band. ~ by Scott Yanow, Allmusic.com.

"Hang On Ramsey" is a live jazz club recording and the intimacy of this venue and the live audience add another dimension to the atmosphere of this LP. The music is funky and swingin' and is typical of the exciting sounds emanating from the era of Rock and Soul!

Cadet Records, LPS 761, 1966

Recorded 14th-17th October, 1965 Live In Concert at “The Lighthouse”, Hermosa Beach, California

Track Listing:

A1. A Hard Day's Night {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (5:00)

A2. All My Love Belong To You {Sol Winkler, Teddy Powell} (4:20)

A3. He's A Real Gone Guy {Nellie Lutcher} (2:29)

A4. And I Love Her {John Lennon, Paul McCartney} (5:46)

A5. Movin' Easy {Ramsey Lewis} (3:00)

B1. Billy Boy / Hi-Heel Sneakers {Arr. Ramsey Lewis, Robert Higgenbotham} (9:11)

B2. The More I See You {Harry Warren, Mack Gordon} (5:17)

B3. Satin Doll {Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, Billy Strayhorn} (6:12)

B4. Hang On Sloopy {Bert Russell, Wes Farrell} (2:58)

Personnel:

Ramsey Lewis - Piano

Eldee Young - Bass

Red Holt - Drums

Ramsey Lewis - And His Gentle-Men of Swing (1956) [vinyl>flac]

This was pianist Ramsey Lewis' first album; a trio set with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Redd Holt. 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. Lewis sounds like a cross between John Lewis and Oscar Peterson, playing melodic and lightly boppish versions of such pieces as "Carmen," Russ Freeman's "The Wind," "Bei Mir Bist Du Schön," Gerry Mulligan's "Limelight" and a few originals.

Argo Records, LP-611, 1956

Recorded 12th December, 1956

Track Listing:

A1. Carmen {Georges Bizet} (4:21)

A2. I'll Remember April {Gene de Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye} (4:03)

A3. The Wind {Russ Freeman} (3:49) 

A4. Bei Mir Bist du Schön {Sammy Cahn, Saul Chaplin, Jacob Jacobs, Sholem Secunda} (3:08)

A5. My Funny Valentine {Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers} (3:21)

B1. Fantasia For Drums {Ramsey Lewis} (5:35)

B2. Dee's New Blues {El Dee Young} (2:52)

B3. Tres {Ramsey Lewis} (4:32)  

B4. Limelight {Gerry Mulligan} (2:18)

Personnel:

Ramsey Lewis - Piano, Keyboards

Eldee Young - Bass

Redd Holt - Drums

Note:
Ripped from 56 year old well-loved vinyl, some sound artifacts.