THE RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO - Down To Earth (Music From The Soil) (1959-1999) RM / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The Ramsey Lewis Trio were popular from the start, cutting four albums of material during 1958, only two years after Lewis began teaming up with bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt. This recording (one of very few by the group in its early days that were not made for Argo or Cadet) has the trio emphasizing folk songs and traditional melodies such as "Dark Eyes," "Come Back to Sorrento," "John Henry," and "Billy Boy." Their concise interpretations (only two songs are longer than 3:15) feature swinging solos by Lewis and respect for the melodies. The music (if not essential) is quite accessible while still being jazz oriented. Worth picking up. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Dark Eyes 2:30
Traditional
2     Come Back to Sorrento 3:09
Ernesto de Curtis / Traditional
3     Soul Mist 2:59
Ramsey Lewis
4     John Henry 2:26
Traditional
5     Greensleeves 4:27
Traditional
6     We Blue It 4:58
Redd Holt / Ramsey Lewis / Eldee Young
7     Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child 2:05
Traditional
8     Suzanne 3:18
Traditional
9     Billy Boy 2:39
Traditional
10     Decisions 2:04
Eldee Young
11     Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child 2:05
Traditional
12     Come Back to Sorrento 2:35
Ernesto de Curtis / Traditional
13     John Henry 2:29
Traditional
14     We Blue It 5:34
Redd Holt / Ramsey Lewis / Eldee Young
Credits :
Bass – Eldee Young
Drums – Red Holt
Piano – Ramsey Lewis

THE RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO - The In Crowd (1965-1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Ramsey Lewis staked his claim to fame with The In Crowd, an instrumental version of Dobie Gray's Top 40 hit. He also was one of the first soul jazz icons of the mid-'60s, based on the strength of the sales of this recording, done over three days during a club date at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington, D.C. What is not readily acknowledged over the years is that bassist Eldee Young is really the star of the show. He's the one who gets the crowd revved up with his vocalizing in tandem with the notes he is playing. It's on his Ray Charles-like take on "Tennessee Waltz" and a similar treatment of Gale Garnett's minor pop hit "You Been Talkin' 'Bout Me Baby" that gets the patrons off. Of course the quintessential hip shakin' introductory title track gets the groove in motion, but it's Young that lights the fuse. His stellar work with drummer Redd Holt bolsters the style of Lewis, and takes it further for the upbeat bossa "Felicidade." Of course, Lewis is the bluesy centerpiece on "Since I Fell for You," another cover of a pop hit that at the time Lenny Welch did so well. The variant is the dramatic "Theme from Spartacus," which has an up-and-down dynamic more suited for a concert hall than a smoky nightclub. This is the moment where Lewis shined the brightest, the "in crowd" at the club was verbally into it, and the time for this music was right. by Michael G. Nastos
Tracklist :
1     The "In" Crowd 5:50
Billy Page
2     Since I Fell for You 4:06
Buddy Johnson
3     Tennessee Waltz 5:02
Pee Wee King / Redd Stewart
4     You Been Talkin' 'Bout Me Baby 3:01
Gale Garnett / Ray Rivers
5     Spartacus (Love Theme From) 7:17
Alex North
6     Felicidade (Happiness) 3:29
Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
7     Come Sunday 4:50
Duke Ellington
Credits :
Bass, Cello – Eldee Young
Drums – Red Holt
Piano – Ramsey Lewis