The
albums on this four-disc set represent the first recordings by pianist Ramsey
Lewis as a leader or in a featured-artist capacity. All but one originally
appeared on Argo. There are eight complete albums in this slipcase box,
beginning with Ramsey Lewis & His Gentle-Men of Swing and Ramsey Lewis
& His Gentle-Men of Jazz, Volume 2 albums (aka the earliest Ramsey Lewis
Trio sides with Eldee Young and Redd Holt), both on disc one.
Disc two collects
the stellar The Colorful Strings of Jimmy Woode and Max Roach's Max. Trumpeter
Lem Winchester's date with the trio and the group's own Down to Earth -- as
well as the first two cuts from vocalist Lorez Alexandria's collaboration with
the group, Early in the Morning -- take up disc three. The remaining eight cuts
from Early in the Morning commence disc four, rounded out by An Hour with the
Ramsey Lewis Trio (their lone album for Mercury).
The good news is that this
set is almost unbelievably inexpensive. The bad news is twofold. Enlightenment
is a U.K. label and therefore not required to pay copyright fees on material at
least 50 years old. It also means that they didn't have to use master tapes as
their source material -- it's highly debatable as to whether these recordings
were actually taken from tapes rather than vinyl LPs. You get what you pay for.
The stars are for the music, not the package. ~ Thom Jurek This compilation
features Ramsey Lewis' complete recorded output from his first album, 1956's
Ramsey Lewis & His Gentle-men of Swing, through to 1960's An Hour with the
Ramsey Lewis Trio. The selection here includes 8 complete LP's released through
this golden age for Jazz, and Ramsey Lewis in particular, including as it does
collaborations with other jazz giants such as Jimmy Woods and Max Roach ~ cduniverse
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