Ramsey Lewis has been written off by some jazz critics as “Not a jazz musician” due to his sixties pop hits “Wade in the water” and the “In crowd”( very good music too).
Here I look at a record by the Ramsey Lewis trio from 1972 “Upendo ni Pamoja. Ramsey Lewis (grand piano and electric piano), Cleveland Eaton (acoustic and electric bass), Morris Jennings (drums and percussion).
The first number “Slipping into darkness” is brilliant .Introduced with an amazing bowed bass solo from Cleveland…. Ramsey Lewis on electric piano… Morris laying down a reggae rhythm…. blues, funk, and reggae come together…and Ramsey Lewis references two Bob Marley songs. My friend Carolyn said “wow they must have been on some very strong drugs.”
“People make the world go round” Ramsey creates beauty on the electric piano…as he said in the liner notes ”Close your eyes and let our music speak to you in colours and sounds … and familiar and not so familiar emotions..” improvising on the theme.
“Please send me someone to love” given a subtle gospel treatment, drums and bass solid throughout. As the late Jim Langabeer said about Ramsey Lewis “a classically trained pianist playing jazz in a funky way”.
“Got to be there” given the full grand piano treatment… on careful listening you can hear how blues drenched Ramsey Lewis playing is.
I understand what a unique player Ramsey Lewis is, what he does musically ,and the contribution of his rhythm section.
“Trilogy” sparkling soulful jazz.” Put your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee” stately gospel, improvising into blues.
“Concierto di Aranjuez”… the flamenco given life… Ramsey Lewis painting a picture of Spain, slipping into a blues tinted improvisation… then touching on free improvisation… masterful bowed bass and crisp drums… then back into a Spanish sunrise.
“Upendo ni pamoja”soft gentle jazz improvising, expanding into a wider theme.
“Collage”Electric piano blues leading into an Art Ensemble of Chicago style free improvisation.
Sounds like a brilliant jazz musician to me.
GT
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