Believe it or not, there was a time in America where modern jazz actually had “hits” on the radio. Are you revived from your fainting spell? Yes, it’s true!
Pianist Ramsey Lewis jazzed up pop songs like “The ‘In’ Crowd” and “Hang On Sloopy” as well as teaming up with a pre Earth Wind and Fire Maurice White for some hip sessions. On this 2 disc set, you get to hear the original Ramsey Lewis Trio with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Redd Holt during their first three years as they recorded for Argo and Emarcy. The material combines songs from their albums as well as some singles. The results show the foundation for the width and breath of Lewis’ rich career.
Lewis shows some soulful stylings on the keyboards with an exotic “Carmen” and a hint of soft fusion for “The Wind” that paved the way for The Crusaders. Gospel is never far away from this church-bred man, with his piano delivering a rich “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child” and “The Walls of Jericho.” Hip bop moods include work by Young on “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon” and Hot lays down some nice backbeat on “The Street Where You Live.”
This was definitely a jazz combo, demonstrated by two diverse reads of “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” The first has Young bopping hard while the second his Lewis’ large strident hands in a percussive mood. His treatment of jazz standards such as “The Way You Look Tonight” is filled with strong digits of assurance. This is a fun, accessible and relentlessly swinging affair that makes you want to delve back into the Lewis catalogue.