Pianist and three-time Grammy winner Ramsey Lewis is one of the few jazz musicians to land pop hits with his tracks "The In Crowd," "Hang On Sloopy" and "Wade In The Water."

born in Chicago in 1930, he learned to play the piano at the age of four and began his career as a fifteen-year-old in the band "The Cleffs." His career is in many ways reminiscent of that of his colleague Ahmad Jamal, only five years older, who had begun to make a name for himself in Chicago in 1950 and relied very early on his own trio instead of occupying the piano chair in many bands. Accordingly, there are very few recordings of either musician as a sideman

From the "Cleffs" Lewis split off first trio with Isaac "Redd" Holt on drums and Eldee Young on bass, which would remain together until 1966. Right away with their debut "Ramsey Lewis and his Gentle-men of Swing" they had found their formula for success and it consisted of a more down-to-earth approach with strong blues and soul elements in contrast to the more intellectual Ahmad Jamal. Occasionally the trio was backed by strings and horns to add variety to their ongoing record production

But even the few sideman recordings of Lewis show that he was a great talent on the piano, whatever the context. With vibraphonist Lem Winchester, there was an interesting sound comparison to the Modern Jazz Quartet in the same lineup. The very rare recording in the project of Ellington bassist Jimmy Woode is also a real gem. That vocalist Lorez Alexandria never made the big breakthrough remains an eternal mystery, as her production with Ramsey Lewis is still a joy to listen to today. As an accomplished hardbop pianist, Lewis shines in the top-class band of drum giant Max Roach

Even though Lewis later turned his music more commercial, he still enjoys great popularity today, including as a radio host

Feat. Ramsey Lewis, Max Roach, Hank Mobley, Kenny Dorham, Lorez Alexandria, Paul Gonsalves, Lem Winchester, Eldee Young, Issac "Redd" Holt, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Oliver Nelson.

Album Title:

CD 1: Ramsey Lewis And His Gentle-Men Of Swing / Ramsey Lewis And His Gentle-Men Of Jazz
CD 2: Lem Winchester And The Ramsey Lewis Trio: A Tribute To Clifford Brown
CD 3: The Ramsey Lewis Trio: Down To Earth (Music From The Soil)/More Music From The Soil
CD 4: An Hour With The Ramsey Lewis Trio
CD 5: Ramsey Lewis Trio: In Chicago
CD 6: Ramsey Lewis Trio: Never On Sunday / Country Meets The Blues
CD 7: Ramsey Lewis Trio: Sounds Of Spring / Sounds Of Christmas
CD 8: Ramsey Lewis Trio: Bossa Nova / Lorez Alexandria & Ramsey Lewis Trio: Early In The Morning
CD 9: Ramsey Lewis Trio: Stretching Out
CD 10: Colorful Strings Of Jimmy Woode / Max Roach Quintet: Max