DER US-AMERIKANISCHE JAZZPIANIST RAMSEY LEWIS IST GESTORBEN

Der am 27. Mai 1935 in Chicago (Illinois) geborene Jazzpianist und -keyboarder Ramsey Lewis (Bild) ist am 12. September 2022 ebenda gestorben. Ramsey war äusserst erfolgreich auch in den Bereichen Soul, Rhythm-and-Blues und Pop-Jazz unterwegs. Er gewann drei Grammys: für das Album «The In Crowd», für «Hold It Right There» und «Hang On Sloopy». Ramsey Lewis war zudem ein bekannter Radio-Moderator, zunächst auf dem Chicagoer Smooth-Jazz-Sender WNUA mit seiner Show «Legends of Jazz», in der er ab 1990 berühmte Jazzmusiker auch in Interviews und Live-Aufnahmen vorstellte. Andrian Kreye von der «Süddeutschen Zeitung» nennt Ramsey Lewis «einen der erfolgreichsten Jazzmusiker aller Zeiten».

Bild: Ramsey Lewis, 2009 – Foto: KPLU Radio, https://flickr.com/people/42677472@N04 – Lizenz: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en – Datei: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KPLU_In-Studio_Performance_Ramsey_Lewis_2.jpg

Ramsey Lewis, NEA Jazz Master, Dies at 87

Among his many honors were five honorary doctorate degrees and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Jazz Artist. «The In Crowd» single was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and his personal memorabilia reside at the Smithsonian Institution. Lewis received a 2007 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award, which placed him in the hallowed company of such piano legends as Ahmad Jamal, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Billy Taylor and Cecil Taylor.

https://downbeat.com/news/detail/nea-jazz-master-ramsey-lewis-dies-at-87

Ramsey Lewis, Jazz Pianist Who Became a Pop Star, Dies at 87

His 1965 recording of «The ‘In’ Crowd» brought him to a place few jazz musicians reached in that era: the Top 10.

Peter Keepnews

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/12/arts/music/ramsey-lewis-dead.html

Ramsey Lewis, Chicago-Born Jazz Great Who Continually Evolved, Dead at 87

«Ramsey’s passion for music was truly fueled by the love and dedication of his fans across the globe. He loved touring and meeting music lovers from so many cultures and walks of life,» his wife Jan Lewis said in a statement. «It was our family’s great pleasure to share Ramsey in this special way with all those who admired his God-given talents.»

Those admirers were legion, dating back to Lewis’ beginnings in the 1950s with the Ramsey Lewis Trio. His biggest hits — «The In Crowd,» «Hang on Sloopy» and «Wade in the Water» — were released in the 1960s but remained fan favorites throughout his long career.

Patty Wetli

https://news.wttw.com/2022/09/12/ramsey-lewis-chicago-born-jazz-great-who-continually-evolved-dead-87

Ramsey Lewis, the pop chart’s favorite jazz pianist, dies at 87

Throughout his career, Lewis was the embodiment of jazz crossover. His affinity for gospel and blues tunes melded seamlessly with easygoing, unfettered forays into the rock and soul standards of the 1960s — a transaction that yielded major dividends with a trio album recorded at Washington D.C.’s fabled Bohemian Caverns in 1965. The title track of that album — «The ‚In‘ Crowd,» a cover of Dobie Gray’s rhythm-and-blues hit from the previous year — made its own leap into the charts, spending 16 weeks on the Billboard Top 100 and rising as high as No. 5. The album spent 12 weeks in the top spot among best-selling R&B albums.

Gene Seymour

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/12/1122554188/ramsey-lewis-jazz-pianist-dies-at-87

Ramsey Lewis, figure incontournable du jazz contemporain, est mort à 87 ans

Connu notamment pour sa version instrumentale de la chanson «The ‘In’ Crowd» qui avait atteint le sommet des hit-parades anglo-saxons en 1965, Ramsey Lewis, figure incontournable du jazz contemporain, a enregistré près de 80 albums (7 disques d’or) entre 1956 et 2011. Ramsey Lewis a remporté 3 Grammy Awards.

Philippe Gault

https://www.radioclassique.fr/classique/ramsey-lewis-figure-incontournable-du-jazz-contemporain-est-mort-a-87-ans/

US-Jazzpianist Ramsey Lewis ist tot

Im Laufe seiner Karriere wurde Ramsey Lewis mit drei Grammys ausgezeichnet, zuletzt arbeitete der Jazzpianist noch an einem neuen Album und seinen Memoiren.

aar/dpa

https://www.spiegel.de/kultur/musik/ramsey-lewis-us-jazz-pianist-ist-tot-the-in-crowd-hang-on-sloopy-a-896e2b7a-53c1-4b99-969b-04bf4fe3bd1b

Schmerzfrei

Wenn man seine Lebensleistung als Jazzpianist in einen kurzen Moment packen will, dann ist es dieser Anschlag, der mit jeder Note sagte «Funky!». Die Härte, die mikroskopischen Verzögerungen und Beschleunigungen, die Fähigkeit, das jederzeit in der Wohligkeit von Popharmonien aufzulösen, machten ihn zu einem der erfolgreichsten Jazzmusiker aller Zeiten.

Andrian Kreye

https://www.sueddeutsche.de/kultur/ramsey-lewis-mother-nature-s-son-jazz-1.5656087

Audios / Videos:

Ramsey Lewis – Hold It Right There

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9kH6ya1JN4

The «In» Crowd (Live At The Bohemian Caverns, Washington, D.C., 1965)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB-DndAgbuE

Ramsey Lewis Trio, In Crowd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKov-1tuHRI

Ramsey Lewis Trio – Hang On Sloopy – (1973)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXSVRhVn-Go

Ramsey Lewis Trio – Summer Breeze (1973)