CD1
1. Lonely Avenue
2. My Babe
3. The "In" Crowd
4. Since I Fell For You
5 The Tennessee Waltz
6. You've Been Talkin' Bout Me
7. Felicidade (Happiness)
8. A Hard Day's Night
9. High Heel Sneakers
10. The More I See You
11. Hang On Sloopy
12. Wade In The Water
13. Ain't That Peculiar
14. Hold It Right There
15. Day Tripper
16. Hurt So Bad
17. Hey Mrs. Jones
18. One, Two, Three
19. Free Again
20. Down By The Riverside
CD2
1. Blue Bongo
2. Function At The Junction
3. Spanish Grease
4. Dancing In The Street
5. The Look Of Love
6. Soul Man
7. Jade East
8. Maiden Voyage
9. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo)
10. Les Fleur
11. Eternal Journey
12. Back In The U.S.S.R.
13. Julia
14. Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except
Me and My Monkey
15. Bold and Black
16. Them Changes
17. Oh Happy Day
18. Do Whatever Sets You Free
19. The Unsilent Majority
Some
jazz critics tend to be a bit sniffy about
anyone who has commercial success, whether
it’s George Benson or Jamie Cullum. Ramsey
Lewis had the misfortune to have hit records
with The "In" Crowd" and
Wade in the Water, so he’s in danger
of being sidelined by jazz snobs. But this
compilation of some of his recordings for
the Chess label from 1956 to 1972 proves his
jazz credentials.
His
early trio recordings were indisputably jazz,
even if it was a stripped-down form of jazz
which could be almost minimalistic. Take a
track like The More I See You, which
is slowed down from its Chris Montez speed
to become a pensive piece with plenty of Garneresque
piano (including an appropriate hint of Misty).
Note also the superb double bass on such tunes
as My Babe and The Tennessee Waltz
(where the unnamed bassist plays a witty flamenco-style
introduction before stating the melody and
then soloing with aplomb). Other tracks are
more in jazz-funk vein but none the worse
for that, with infectious rhythm and hints
of gospel music and the blues. The live ambience
of many of the tracks on the first disc adds
to the excitement.
Unfortunately
most of the tracks on the second disc add
orchestral backings which dilute the jazz
content and often get in the way of Ramsey’s
playing. The strings and voices provide an
intriguing backdrop for Herbie Hancock’s Maiden
Voyage but there are some very strange
noises on tracks like Everybody’s Got Something
to Hide Except Me and My Monkey. Ramsey’s
reputation survives in the few live tracks
on the second CD, like the groovy Them
Changes and Do Whatever Sets You Free.
Some
tracks on this double album (such as singalongs
like Hang On Sloopy and the covers
of Beatles tunes) tend to date the recordings
to a bygone era, but this collection suggests
that Ramsey Lewis often transcended his commercial
pop image and played with genuine jazz feeling.
Tony Augarde
CD Reviews
Chess 983
886-3
