Ramsey Lewis 85th Birthday Concert on Stageit

Ramsey Lewis at home in Chicago, 2019.

Legendary jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis performed a special concert on Stageit on May 30, 2020, in celebration of his 85^th birthday. Since Lewis no longer tours, and because the concert was being broadcast from his living room, I was excited about this opportunity. My wife and I had tickets to see Ramsey Lewis perform at the Ordway a couple of years ago, but before the concert took place, Lewis announced his retirement from touring. Fortunately, we have seen Lewis in concert before, mainly at the Dakota. 

Technical difficulties marred the second half of the show, as the sound and video cut out about 35 minutes into the 50-minute show. After a while, Ramsey reappeared, saying, “What is life without technical difficulties?” Unfortunately, after Lewis had started playing again for just a minute or so, the connection was lost again. This time it was probably 20 minutes or so before Lewis reappeared yet again. This time, he was able to finish the show without any issues. Ultimately, we got 50 minutes or so of music, it was just spread out over 90 minutes. But anyway, onto the music.

Musically, the show was fantastic. It’s clear that Lewis hasn’t lost a step on the piano. He started the show with the classic Percy Mayfield blues song “Please Send Me Someone to Love.” Lewis’ piano playing has always reflected many different influences, and the blues are always there, close to the surface. In “Please Send Me Someone to Love,” the blues bubble up to the top, along with some gospel for extra flavoring. Lewis then played a beautiful ballad called “Wind” that he wrote. “Wind” got me wondering if Lewis has ever recorded a solo piano album. According to my Googling, he hasn’t, although a 2019 Chicago Tribune article about him indicated that his next project might be a solo piano album. 

Next up was a lovely version of “My Ship,” by Kurt Weill (with lyrics by Ira Gershwin). Lewis then played “Spain,” written by Chick Corea. Lewis played a song by Billy Taylor, but I’m not sure of that name of it. It was hard to hear Ramsey when he was speaking, so I missed some of what he said. He also played a song he wrote called “I’ll Never Forget You,” and a tune called “Sarah Jane.” And can I just say that I suspect that Ramsey Lewis has found the fountain of youth? Seriously, if you didn’t know it was his 85^th birthday concert, you’d probably think it was his 65^th birthday concert. It’s probably proof that music keeps you young. 

Whatever Ramsey Lewis plays, he can conjure up all the required sounds from the keyboard. Slow ballads, classically influenced pieces, soulful R&B, funky gospel-inflected tunes: they’re all part of Ramsey Lewis’ repertoire. Lewis closed the concert with a medley of two of his most famous funky jazz songs that crossed over to the pop charts: “Wade in the Water” and “The In Crowd.” They sounded as fresh and groovy as ever, a testament to the continued excellence of Ramsey Lewis, one of the great jazz pianists.

Concert Review: Ramsey Lewis at the Dakota Jazz Club

Ramsey Lewis and his band. From left to right, Tim Gant on keyboards, Charles Heath on drums, Ramsey Lewis on piano, Joshua Ramos on bass, and Henry Johnson on guitar.

Last night I saw the great jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis at the Dakota Jazz Club. I’ve seen Ramsey Lewis three times before, in 2009, in 2012, and in 2015. Each time he’s put on an excellent show full of his vibrant piano playing. Lewis played with the same group I’ve seen him with before, Tim Gant on keyboards, Henry Johnson on guitar, Joshua Ramos on bass and Charles Heath on drums. 

Ramsey Lewis’ first album, recorded in 1956, was titled Ramsey Lewis and His Gentle-Men of Swing. The very first song on that album was “Carmen,” a jazz version of the habanera from the opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. Ramsey Lewis always comes across as a gentleman-he’s always impeccably dressed and seems like a very nice guy. And it’s fitting that his first song on his first album was a fusion of classical and jazz. Lewis studied classical piano as a young man, and his playing brings together many different elements-jazz, classical, soul, R&B, pop, and more. 

Lewis achieved crossover success in 1965 with his recording of “The ‘In’ Crowd,” which had been a pop hit for Dobie Gray. Recorded live at the Bohemian Caverns club in Washington, D.C., with his great trio of Eldee Young on bass and Redd Holt on drums, the album and the single were both Top 5 hits on the pop charts, an unprecedented feat for a jazz group. Lewis’ recording of “The ‘In’ Crowd” is often used in TV shows and movies, as it has become a song that instantly captures its era in just a few funky notes. 

Lewis opened the concert last night with the smooth funk of “Tequila Mockingbird,” and he mixed a musical quote from “The Trolley Song.” His next song was a version of the Beatles “Here, There and Everywhere.” He began the song solo, and slowly the rest of the group joined in as it moved in other directions. Lewis followed that up with another Beatles song, “A Hard Day’s Night,” which he had a hit with in 1966. The band really got to show off their chops on “A Hard Day’s Night,” as everyone took lengthy solos. The whole band is excellent, and special mention must be made of Henry Johnson on guitar, who reminds me a lot of Wes Montgomery. Johnson also had some terrific exchanges with Joshua Ramos on bass. Lewis played a beautiful version of “Dear Lord,” a John Coltrane song. Lewis is adept at playing both ballads and funky swingers. His style is always smooth and easy to listen to.

Lewis closed the 7PM show with his two biggest hits, “Sun Goddess,” which he revealed was written as an Earth, Wind & Fire song that Maurice White couldn’t think of any words for, and of course, “The ‘In’ Crowd.” At the age of 82, Ramsey Lewis doesn’t disappoint.

Concert Review: Ramsey Lewis and Philip Bailey at the Dakota Jazz Club

Poster for Ramsey Lewis and Philip Bailey at the Dakota, 2015.

Ramsey Lewis playing "The Party's Over," at the Dakota Jazz Club, January 7, 2015. (Photo by Mark Taylor.)

The great jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis teamed up with Philip Bailey, the lead vocalist for Earth, Wind, and Fire at the Dakota Jazz Club last night, and it was a terrific show. I’ve been a fan of Ramsey Lewis’s piano playing for a long time, and I previously saw him at the Dakota in 2012. Lewis’s backing band, called his “electric band,” was the same group that appeared with him in 2012. They’re a great group, comprised of Tim Gant on keyboards, Henry Johnson on guitar, Joshua Ramos on bass, and Charles Heath on drums. Lewis has always been known for his great trios, starting in the 1950’s and 1960’s, with Eldee Young on bass and Redd Holt on drums, and Ramos and Heath continue the tradition. Johnson is an excellent soloist, with a clean, uncluttered sound that brings to mind great players like Wes Montgomery and Grant Green. Gant adds flourishes on keyboards and synthesizer that bring colorful accents to the music.

At the age of 79, Ramsey Lewis continues to shine on piano. Lewis’s playing is an exquisite blend of all different influences, from gospel, classical, and jazz, to soul, funk, and rhythm and blues. Lewis’s sound can be bluesy or soft and gentle, depending on the song. He opened the show with Duke Ellington’s classic “Satin Doll,” which showed off his group well, with an excellent solo from Henry Johnson on guitar. Next Lewis played a beautiful ballad version of “All My Love Belongs To You,” which was a hit for R&B singer Bull Moose Jackson in 1948. (Lewis told that audience that information.) I loved Lewis’s playing on “All My Love Belongs To You.” His ballad style is so gorgeous, I could listen to him play for hours. Lewis reached back to the past for his next song, “Black Orpheus Medley,” where he weaved together several songs from Luiz Bonfa and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s score to the 1959 movie Black Orpheus, which helped usher in the bossa nova craze of the 1960’s. Lewis’s version of “Black Orpheus Medley” uses the song “Manha de Carnaval” as an anchor that he keeps coming back to. The entire group did a great job of switching dynamics as the medley moved from swinging songs to ballads. 

After “Black Orpheus Medley” Philip Bailey came out and joined the group. Bailey played percussion and sang in his beautiful soulful voice. Bailey opened with a swinging version of the jazz standard “Caravan.” Bailey also sang an excellent version of the Antonio Carlos Jobim song “Wave,” which is one of my favorite Jobim songs. Bailey is a charismatic live performer, and he made sure the crowd stayed involved in the show. Bailey’s singing mixed very well with Lewis’s playing, and Lewis did a superb job of accompanying Bailey’s vocals. Bailey sang a fun medley of some of Earth, Wind and Fire’s biggest hits, which included crowd pleasers like “Shining Star,” and “September.” Lewis also played his biggest hits, “The In Crowd” and “Sun Goddess,” before coming back and closing the show with a lovely solo piano version of “The Party’s Over.” Lewis and Bailey have known each other for a long time, as Bailey appeared on Lewis’s classic 1974 album “Sun Goddess.” They clearly enjoy performing together. Lewis has a strong connection to Earth, Wind and Fire, as Maurice White, the group’s founder, replaced Redd Holt on drums in the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1966. White played with Lewis for several years before leaving to start Earth, Wind and Fire. 

Lewis and Bailey put on an excellent show, and if you’re a fan of Ramsey Lewis or of Earth, Wind and Fire, you’ll have a great time hearing some fantastic music.

Concert Review: Ramsey Lewis and his Electric Band at the Dakota Jazz Club

Ramsey Lewis at the Dakota, 5/20/12. (Photo by Mark Taylor.)

Last night I saw Ramsey Lewis in concert at the Dakota Jazz Club. It was a terrific show. I’ve seen Ramsey in concert once before, at Orchestra Hall in 2009. The concert at Orchestra Hall featured Lewis in the familiar piano trio setting that made him famous. Last night’s show featured his “Electric Band,” with Tim Gant on keyboards, Henry Johnson on guitar, Joshua Ramos on bass and Charles Heath on drums. The band was incredible, providing great solos and also great support for Lewis’s playing. Despite the name of the band, Ramsey himself played mainly a Steinway grand, and a little bit of Fender Rhodes electric keyboard. Lewis, who will turn 77 next week, still has an amazing touch at the piano. His playing sounds so effortless and is so easy to listen to. Lewis brings a lot of things to the piano when he sits down to play. He started playing music in church at a very early age, so there’s a lot of gospel in everything he plays. He was classically trained, and he brings a very impressive technique to his ballad playing. As evident from his 1960’s hits like “The In Crowd,” and “Hang on Sloopy,” Lewis knows how to play rhythm and blues and pop/rock material. All of these different elements come together in his piano playing, and they often manifest themselves in the same song. It’s wonderful to hear him play, and after seeing him in concert twice, I would say he is definitely underrated as one of the all-time great jazz pianists. 

It’s clear that Lewis still really enjoys playing, he has a big smile on his face most of the time, and I could see him reacting a lot to what his band was playing. Henry Johnson on guitar had a great solo on the opening song, “Wade in the Water.” Johnson’s smooth tone and style are reminiscent of Wes Montgomery’s playing. In fact, “Wade in the Water” brought so much blues and funk heat that I wasn’t sure where Ramsey could go next. He played a softer ballad for his next song, which was a wise choice as I’m not sure much could have topped “Wade in the Water.” There were a few times during the concert when Ramsey played solo, or accompanied by just Joshua Ramos on bass, and these were lovely, quiet moments to hear. Lewis played an interesting medley of the John Coltrane song “Dear Lord” and his original song “Blessings,” which was very lovely. Lewis also played a medley of gospel songs that was wonderful, and ranged from quieter, more moving pieces to hard-driving blues. The gospel medley also featured a lot of interplay between Lewis and Charles Heath on drums, as they traded “fours” back and forth. Eventually Heath got to play a lengthy drum solo, which was very fun to hear. For the first encore Lewis played a very long version of his 1974 pop/R&B hit single “Sun Goddess.” He played it mostly on the Fender Rhodes, and man, was it funky! Lewis brought a lot of heat to his playing, and it was definitely funkier than the original version. It was really fun to hear the whole band dig in to this song. Lewis clearly enjoyed the warm reception he got at the Dakota, as he and the band came back for one more encore, “The In Crowd.” Lewis and his original trio, bassist Eldee Young and drummer Redd Holt, scored a surprise hit single and album in 1965 with this version of Dobie Gray’s hit single. “The In Crowd” was both a Top Ten single and album, and it was the rare jazz cover to outsell the vocal version of the song. In his original version, Lewis played “The In Crowd” as a more up-tempo song, and he found the groove in it. His version last night was great, and it’s clear he still enjoys playing the song.

Ramsey Lewis has great style, both in how he plays the piano and in how he dresses. One thing I noticed last night is that whenever Ramsey got up from the piano to say something, he would button his jacket. Which is exactly what you’re supposed to do when you’re wearing a jacket. Lewis has aged very well; he looks like he’s about 50, not 76! It was a really wonderful show, and it’s great to see a jazz veteran still having fun on stage and being energized by the music he’s playing and the musicians he’s playing with.