Ramsey Lewis and His Electric Band — The Sun Goddess Tour

Sunday August 14, 2011 | AT&T Main Stage | 4pm

Composer, pianist, and jazz legend Ramsey Lewis, often referred to as the "great performer" began taking piano lessons at the age of four. He would later join drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

The trio had started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album Ramsey Lewis and The Gentlemen of Swing in 1956. By 1966 Lewis was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with The In Crowd (the single reached #5 on the pop charts, and the album #2), Wade in the Water, and Hang On Sloopy. Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience, and following these successes, Ramsey concentrated more on pop material. After completing his now classic acoustic albums in the 1960s, Ramsey entered the electric realm during the 70s. The best-known result of that exploration was The Sun Goddess album and tour.

Having heard from fans how much they still love this release, Ramsey recently went back and listened to the sessions with fresh ears. He has since has pulled together a new electric group that can "funk it out," getting that good-time groove on with tunes from Sun Goddess as well as new compositions composed for this tour.

His weekly syndicated radio program Legends of Jazz, created in 1990, features recordings from artists such as David Sanborn, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Kurt Elling, Al Jarreau and Miles Davis.  Ramsey has also composed music for the Joffrey Ballet and has been recognized by a wide variety of institutions for his contributions to music including the bestowal of five honorary doctorates.  His latest album Songs from the Heart: Ramsey Plays Ramsey was released in 2009.

ramseylewis.com
myspace.com/ramseylewis
myspace.com/theramseylewistrio