Born in Chicago in 1935, Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis Jr., was already taking piano lessons at the age of four. At 15 he joined his first jazz band, The Cleffs, and later formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio with two other members, drummer Isaac ""Redd"" Holt and bassist Eldee Young. The Trio would go on to record 25 albums together by which time, the mid 1960s, they were not just one of the hottest Jazz outfits in the USA but were equally known on the pop charts as crossover singles such as 'Wade In The Water', 'The In Crowd' and 'Hang On Sloopy' all went top 10. Young and Holt left Ramsey around this time to form their own Young Holt Unlimited, while Lewis continued to bring in superlative jazz men such as drummer/vocalist Maurice White (later to form Earth, Wind and Fire) to back him on numerous further records, film soundtracks and in performance. This compilation features Ramsey Lewis' complete recorded output from his first album, 1956's Ramsey Lewis & His Gentle-men of Swing, through to 1960 and An Hour with the Ramsey Lewis Trio. The selection here includes eight complete albums originally released through this golden age for Jazz in general, and Ramsey Lewis in particular, including as it does collaborations with other jazz giants such as Jimmy Woods, Max Roach and Lorez Alexandria.
M**E
I wish I'd read these reviews before I bought this scratchy set
The music is wonderful, of course. I always enjoy Ramsey Lewis's early work; I've kept a vinyl copy of the Down to Earth LP for four decades. But my album sounds less scratchy than half the songs on this CD set.On one hand, it's great to be able to listen to so many RL cuts for such a low price. But on the other hand, the sound quality reminds me that as soon as I find better versions of these classic albums, I'll need to buy them again. I'll probably get my money's worth out of this CD set, but I won't feel proud doing it.
G**F
Bootleg sources
It's a shame that this isn't from "legal' sources. The first disc (tracks 1-9 "Ramsey Lewis & His Gentle-Men Of Swing) on disc 1 are taken from a terrible vinyl copy that sounds like it's also sourced from an MP3.Tracks 10-17 (disc 1) are taken from the "Fresh Sounds" release (complete with watermark).Tracks 1-6 (disc 2) are also taken from an MP3 version of an overly noise reduced Lp transfer. I can go on and on (about the sources) - but this set is not worth the $12 unless you really don't car about sound quality. It's pirate material.
P**O
nice run through the early years...
....but really only for folks who are completing collections. some pleasant moments on here, but there's a reason why he found his voice later in his career...and not in 1957. he's still learning.Price is nice though....
B**N
Quality of Sound is a Major Disappointment
You can instantly tell that this is just a poor quality transfer from record albums to CDs. Yes, this is a nice collection of early Ramsey Lewis jazz but the hiss is very noticeable and annoying to anyone who is used to CD quality sound. After I played it a couple of time, I'll probably never play it again.You can get most of these selections on other CD sets.
R**E
great nightclub music
Hey it's Ramsey Lewis, great music like when I used to see him live at Mr. Kelly's in Chicago.
B**T
Four Stars
Reliable seller…item delivered as promised.
R**S
early Ramsey
A lot of good material but very early. I like all of Ramsey Lewis' music, so this was a good value for me for the price.
L**7
r lewis: the lder, the better
r lewis: the older, the better
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