Caught Between Jazz and Pop: The Contested Origins, Criticism, Performance Practice, and Reception of Smooth Jazz. Page: 23
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Ramsey Lewis: Forging New Dialogues with His Audience
Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago on May 27, 1935. His early piano lessons were
based on classical and gospel music. In 1950, Lewis joined a local jazz-dance band called
The Cleffs [sic] which was comprised of Wallace Burton, saxophone, Eldee Young , bass,
and Redd Holt, drums. During his tenure with The Cleffs, Lewis was exposed to jazz
artists such as Oscar Peterson, John Lewis, and Charlie Parker. Lewis recalled that at
this point, "jazz soon became a major force in my musical life, but European classical
and gospel music were of almost equal importance."22 Lewis drew from a variety of
musical styles, and this predilection for musical variety was prominent early in his
career. In 1956, Lewis joined with Young and Holt to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio. They
released their first album, Ramsey Lewis and the Gentlemen of Swing, that same year.
This album features typical jazz standards such as "My Funny Valentine" and "I'll
Remember April" as well as atypical pieces like Bizet's Carmen. Carmen stands out as
an unusual repertoire choice for a jazz artist. Even at this early point in his career, Lewis
had begun utilizing his stylistic diversity as a way to reach out to his audience. Lewis's
attempts paid off and his version of Carmen remained popular throughout the 1950os; he
highlighted it in his live shows and on Ramsey Lewis Trio in Chicago (1960).
Throughout the late 195os and 196os, Lewis displayed a wide variety of
repertoire. For instance, in 1958 Lewis released Down To Earth, a collection of
traditional songs such as "Greensleeves," "John Henry," and "Come Back to Sorrento."
Down to Earth features Lewis performing gospel and jazz-styled treatments of these
22 This statement is taken from Lewis's website, http://www.ramseylewis.com/main (accessed
January 1, 2008).23
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West, Aaron J. Caught Between Jazz and Pop: The Contested Origins, Criticism, Performance Practice, and Reception of Smooth Jazz., dissertation, December 2008; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc9722/m1/34/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .