The Ramsey LEWIS Trio - Choice! The Best of the Ramsey Lewis Trio 1965

The Ramsey LEWIS Trio - Choice! The Best of the Ramsey Lewis Trio 1965
Label: Cadet

Jazz

Before assaulting the R&B and pop charts with "The in Crowd," the Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded exemplary swinging club jazz. This 1965 package came out in the same year that "The in Crowd" exploded and represents the Ramsey Lewis Trio's most popular recordings prior to their emergence. There's more improvising and the arrangements are intricate enough to display each member's chops. The selections revisit the trio's debut, Ramsey Lewis & His Gentlemen of Swing (Argo, 1956), with "Carmen." The Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded for three labels under Chess' umbrella: Argo, Cadet, and Chess. A good LP if you can find a copy; it represents their early years well.
By Andrew Hamilton.AMG.
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Ramsey Lewis has long straddled the boundary between bop-oriented jazz and pop music. Most of his recordings (particularly by the mid-'60s) were very accessible and attracted a large non-jazz audience. In 1956, he formed a trio with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt. From the start (1958), their records for Argo/Cadet were popular, although in the early days, they had a strong jazz content. In 1958, Lewis also recorded with Max Roach and Lem Winchester. On the 1965 albums The In Crowd and Hang On, Ramsey made the pianist into a major attraction and from that point, on his records became much more predictable and pop-oriented. In 1966, his trio's personnel changed with bassist Cleveland Eaton and drummer Maurice White (later the founder of Earth, Wind & Fire) joining Lewis. In the 1970s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and hiring an additional keyboardist. He can still play melodic jazz when he wants to, but Ramsey Lewis has mostly stuck to easy listening pop music during the past 30 years. In 2004 he released Time Flies, a look back at some of his most popular songs through new recordings.
By Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.
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01. Something You Got
02. Little Liza Jane
03. Memphis In June
04. Travel On
05. Delilah
06. C C Rider
07. Lonely Avenue
08. Look-A-Here
09. My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
10. Hello, Cello!
11. Blue Spring
12. Carmen
13. Blues For The Night Owls
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