Soul - Coleman Hawkins

Rating: 5/10
Sound Quality: Lossless
Format: Flac
Record Label: Prestige
Year Released: 1958
Album Covers: Included
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Το δεύτερο δισκάκι του Hawk που υποσχέθηκα προέρχεται από το 1958. Ένα χρόνο μετά το "The Hawk Flies High" (του προηγούμενου post) ο Hawkins "μετακoμίζει" από την Riverside στην Prestige και εκεί συναντάει τον Kenny Burrell με τον οποίον θα βρεθούν στο μέλλον για να ηχογραφήσουν είτε δισκογραφικές δουλειές του μεγάλου κιθαρίστα είτε συμμετέχοντας και οι δυο τους σε album τρίτων.
Το "Soul" είναι ένας από εκείνους του δίσκους που "αποδεικνύουν" ότι τα μονοπάτια της jazz και του blues δεν ήταν ποτέ παράλληλα αλλά αντιθέτως πολλάκις διασταυρώθηκαν με εξαιρετικά αποτελέσματα. Ιδιαίτερα στο "Soul Blues" που ανοίγει άλλωστε και το δίσκο, Hawkins, Burrell και Bryant "μαρτυράνε τις blues επιρροές τους" ενώ στο εξαιρετικό "Sunday Mornin'" (σύνθεση του Burrell) είναι αναγνωρίσιμα και τα gospel στοιχεία.

Προσπάθησα να βρω στο διαδίκτυο κομμάτια από τον δίσκο αυτό για να πάρετε μία γέυση, ελπίζοντας ότι κάποιος θα είχε ποστάρει κάτι...αλλά τζίφος! Το μόνο θέμα που κατάφερα να βρω σε youtube μορφή ήταν η διασκευή στο "παραδοσιακό" "Greensleeves" η οποία πραγματικά δεν με πολυτρελαίνει ως εκτέλεση... (για να είμαι ειλικρινής παίζει να είναι και το χειρότερο κομμάτι του album...αλλά περί ορέξεως βέβαια...τα γνωστά...)

Οπότε για μία ακόμα φορά η γνωστή λαϊκή ρήση "ποτέ μη λες ποτέ" εμφανίστηκε δυναμικά στη ζωή μου, κι ενώ είχα πει ότι με το youtube δεν μπαίνω στη διαδικασία να ασχοληθώ (για πάρα πολλούς λόγους που δεν αναφέρω για να μην τρώμε την ώρα μας) σήμερα ξεκίνησα την καριέρα μου ως άλλος ένας οικιακός σκηνοθέτης! Άντε Ντάντα και στις Κάννες. :)
Εντάξει επιοίκεια ώτα μου, επιοίκεια... πρώτη απόπειρα άλλωστε...

Για την ακρίβεια μην ασχοληθείτε καθόλου με το βιντεάκι αλλά με το καλύτερο κατά τη γνώμη μου κομμάτι από αυτό το album του "γερακιού" το εξαιρετικό "I Hadn't Anyone Till You" το οποίο ήτο και η αφορμή για αυτό το πρώτο video/upload... που ελπίζω να άξιζε τον κόπο...

Και σάλα με ηχεία!

Radiodada

I Hadn't Anyone Till You - Coleman Hawkins

Σύνθεση Μουσικών:
Coleman Hawkins: Τενόρο Σαξόφωνο
Kenny Burrell: Κιθάρα
Ray Bryant: Πιάνο
Wendell Marshall: Κοντραμπάσο
Osie Johnson: Τύμπανα

About Coleman Hawkins

Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 - May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was a prominent jazz tenor saxophonist.

He is commonly regarded as the first important and influential jazz musician to use the instrument: Joachim E. Berendt wrote, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn".

While Hawkins is most strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he began playing professionally in the early 1920s and was important in the development of bebop in the 1940s. He continued to be influenced by the avant-garde jazz of the 1950s and '60s.

Lester Young, who was called "Pres", 1959 interview with Jazz Review said "As far as I'm concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I'm the second one."

Miles Davis once said: "When I heard Hawk I learned to play ballads."

The Hawk Flies High - Coleman Hawkins

Rating: 6/10
Sound Quality: Lossless
Format: Flac
Record Label: Riverside
Year Released: 1957
Album Covers: Included
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Ώτα μου γεια χαρά,
Coleman Hawkins και ξερό ψωμί για τη συνέχεια και επειδή υπάρχει μεγάλη πιθανότητα το δεύτερο να παίξει άφθονο για το επόμενο διάστημα λέω να σας τρατάρω 2-3 δίσκους τους "γερακιού" που δύσκολα τους βαριέσαι.
Ιδιαίτερα το "The Hawk Flies High" πρόκειται κατά τη γνώμη για ένα από τα καλύτερα album του "πατέρα" του τενόρο σαξόφωνου και από την άποψη των συνθέσεων αλλά και όσο αφορά τους εξαιρετικούς μουσικούς που απαρτίζουν το εν λόγω δισκάκι. Κορυφαίες στιγμές του album το "Chant" (του οποίου τη σύνθεση υπογράφει ο  πιανίστας Hank Jones που συμμετέχει στο δίσκο) και το "Think Deep" τα οποία και ποστάρω για να πάρετε μία καλή γεύση.
Εξαιρετική επίσης και η προσέγγιση στο θέμα του Gigi Gryce με τίτλο "Blue Lights" - μπορώ να πω ισάξια της πρώτης εκτέλεσης του κομματιού (1957) από τον δίσκο των Art Farmer & Gigi Gryce με τίτλο "When Farmer Meets Gryce" (την οποία - ασχέτως του μεγάλου "κολλήματος" μου με τον Hawkins - θεωρώ ως καλύτερη...ή για να χρησιμοποιήσω μια σωστέρη λέξη για αυτή την "σύγκριση"... βρίσκω αρκετά "ζεστότερη" την πρώτη εκτέλεση αυτού του θέματος...)
Το δισκάκι συμπληρώνεται από τα "Juicy Fruit" το οποίο υπογράφει ο επίσης συμμετέχον Idrees Sulieman (τρομπέτα), από τη διασκευή πάνω στο "Laura" του μεγάλου David Raksin (ενός απ' τους σημαντικότερους συνθέτες της μεγάλης οθόνης) -από την ομώνυμη film noir ταίνια του 1944- και τέλος ο δίσκος κλείνει με την συνθετική "πινελιά" του ίδιου του Hawkins  στο δροσιστικό και  "εξωτικό" "Sancticity".
Καλή ακρόαση!

Radiodada

Σύνθεση Μουσικών:
Coleman Hawkins: Τενόρο Σαξόφωνο
Idrees Sulieman: Τρομπέτα
Hank Jones: Πιάνο
Oscar Pettiford: Κόντραμπάσο
J.J. Johnson: Τρομπόνι
Jo Jones: Τύμπανα

Chant - Coleman Hawkins

Think Deep - Coleman Hawkins

About Coleman Hawkins

Coleman Randolph Hawkins (November 21, 1904 - May 19, 1969), nicknamed "Hawk" and sometimes "Bean", was a prominent jazz tenor saxophonist.

He is commonly regarded as the first important and influential jazz musician to use the instrument: Joachim E. Berendt wrote, "there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn".

While Hawkins is most strongly associated with the swing music and big band era, he began playing professionally in the early 1920s and was important in the development of bebop in the 1940s. He continued to be influenced by the avant-garde jazz of the 1950s and '60s.

Lester Young, who was called "Pres", 1959 interview with Jazz Review said "As far as I'm concerned, I think Coleman Hawkins was the President first, right? As far as myself, I think I'm the second one."

Miles Davis once said: "When I heard Hawk I learned to play ballads."

Renaud Garcia Fons - Live In Berlin 2010 (Video)

Note From Dada!

Έχω ξαναποστάρει στο παρελθόν κάποια videos αλλά και την καλύτερη (κατά την γνώμη μου) δισκογραφική δουλειά του Renaud Garcia Fons, το live στο Schloss Elmau υπό τον τίτλο "Arcoluz" (το οποίο υπάρχει φυσικά ποστάρισμένο στο blog και το βρίσκετε εδώ).
Εκ τοτε αυτός ο μέγιστος γάλλος κοντραμπασίστας - που η σκούφια του κρατάει από Καταλωνία μεριά - δεν κατάφερε με τους έπομενους δίσκους του (La Linea Del Sur -2009- και Méditerranées - 2010) να ξεπεράσει εκείνο το εκπληκτικό του album, που παρέα με τους Kiko Ruiz στην κιθάρα και τον Negrito Trasante στα τύμπανα και στα κρουστά κάνανε πράγματα και θαύματα. Η ενορχήστρωση (κυρίως) αλλά και οι συνθέσεις στους εν λόγω δίσκους "ρέπουν" σε ένα (τολμώ να πω!) "τουριστικό world-ethnic" ύφος (πράγμα όμως που επ ουδενί δεν μειώνει την παικτική δεινότητα του Fons) και που κατά τη γνώμη  δεν συγκρίνονται με εκείνες τις εξαιρετικές συνθέσεις του Arcoluz.
Αφορμή για όλα αυτά στάθηκε το παρακάτω βιντεάκι που μου θύμισε γιατι γουστάρω πάρα πολύ αυτόν τον τύπο. Εδώ λοιπόν ο Fons κάνει το άνθρωπο ορχήστρα και παίζει πάνω σε πράγματα που ηχογραφεί επί τόπου απογειώνοντας αυτό το ιστορικά "δυσκίνητο" από σολιστικής άποψης μουσικό όργανο, αλλά κρατώντας ταυτόχρονα τη μελωδία σε πρώτο πλάνο. Απλά εξαιρετικός. 'Njoy!

Σας φιλώ στο μόντεμ!

Radiodada

ΥΓ. Το εν λογω βιντεάκι προέρχεται από μία διεθνής συνεύρεση κοντραμπασιστών η οποία διεξείχθει το 2010 στο Βερολίνο.

Today & Tomorrow - McCoy Tyner

Rating: 5.5/10 
Sound Quality: Lossless
Format: Flac
Record Label: Impulse
Year Released: 1963
Album Covers: Included
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Αυτός ο εξαιρετικός πιανίστας - ήδη στα 73 του χρόνια- είναι ένας από τους τελευταίους εν ζωή (μαζί με τον Horace Silver και τον Herbie Hancock - μπορεί να ξεχνάω κάποιον...οπότε διορθώστε με...) μεγάλους πιανίστες της jazz.

Εδώ σας ποστάρω ένα δισκάκι από το 1963 - τότε που ο Tyner ηχογραφούσε για λογαριασμό της Implulse και στην οποία άλλωστε ξεκίνησε τη δισκογραφία του.
Το τρίτο του προσωπικό album με τίτλο "Today & Tomorrow" περιέχει κυρίως δικές του συνθέσεις αλλά και δύο διασκευές πάνω στα jazz standard "Night In Tunisia" και "Autumn Leaves".  Μετά τους δύο πρώτους του δίσκους - το "Inception" και το "Nights Of Ballads & Blues" (το οποίο το βρίσκετε εδώ), ο Tyner εδώ εκτός από το "κλασικό τρίο σχήμα" (τύμπανα/μπάσο/πιάνο) ηχογραφεί και με ένα σεξτέτο που αποτελείται από τους:

McCoy Tyner: Πιάνο
Butch Warren & Jimmy Garrison: Κοντραμπάσο
Elvin Jones & Albert Heath: Τύμπανα
John Gilmore: Τενόρο Σαξόφωνο
Thad Jones: Τρομπέτα
Frank Strozier: Άλτο Σαξόφωνο

Σας φιλώ στο μόντεμ!

Radiodada 

About McCoy Tyner

McCoy Tyner (born December 11, 1938) is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.

Tyner was born Alfred McCoy Tyner in Philadelphia as the oldest of three children. He was encouraged to study piano by his mother. He began studying the piano at age 13 and within two years, music had become the focal point in his life. His early influences included Bud Powell, a Philadelphia neighbor. As a young man, he converted to Islam through the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and was active in the objectives of the organization during the pinnacle of his career.

Tyner's first main exposure came with Benny Golson, being the first pianist in Golson's and Art Farmer's legendary Jazztet (1960). After departing the Jazztet, Tyner joined Coltrane's group in 1960 during its extended run at the Jazz Gallery replacing Steve Kuhn. (Coltrane had known Tyner for a while in Philadelphia, and featured one of the pianist's compositions, "The Believer", as early as 1958.) He appeared on the saxophonist's popular recording of "My Favorite Things" for Atlantic Records. The Coltrane Quartet, which consisted of Coltrane on tenor sax, Tyner, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums, toured almost non-stop between 1961 and 1965 and recorded a number of classic albums, including Live at the Village Vanguard, Ballads, Live at Birdland, Crescent, A Love Supreme, and The John Coltrane Quartet Plays ..., on the Impulse! label.

Tyner has recorded a number of highly influential albums in his own right. While in Coltrane's group, he recorded a series of important albums (primarily in the piano trio format) for Impulse! Records. The pianist also appeared as a sideman in many of the highly acclaimed Blue Note Records albums of the 1960s, although was often credited as 'etc.' on the cover of these albums (when listing the sidemen on the album) in order to respect his contractual obligations at Impulse Records.

"The jazz is my life, my wife, my love."

His involvement with John Coltrane came to an end in 1965. Coltrane's music was becoming much more atonal and free; he had also augmented his quartet with percussion players who threatened to drown out both Tyner and Jones. This seemed to add to his drive and character about wanting to make music his own and unique. Tyner was somewhat bitter about the change in Coltrane's direction: "I didn't see myself making any contribution to that music... All I could hear was a lot of noise. I didn't have any feeling for the music, and when I don't have feelings, I don't play. By 1966, Tyner was rehearsing with a new trio and would now fully embark on his career as a leader.

After leaving Coltrane's group, Tyner produced a series of post-bop albums released on Blue Note Records from 1967 to 1970 which included The Real McCoy (1967), Tender Moments (1967), Time for Tyner (1968), Expansions (1968) and Extensions (1970). Soon thereafter he moved to the Milestone label and recorded many influential albums, including Sahara (1972), Enlightenment (1973), and Fly with the Wind (1976), which featured flautist Hubert Laws, drummer Billy Cobham, and a string orchestra. His music for Blue Note and Milestone often took the Coltrane quartet's music as a point of departure and also incorporated African and East Asian musical elements. On Sahara, for instance, Tyner plays koto, in addition to piano, flute, and percussion. These albums are often cited as examples of vital, innovative jazz from the 1970s that was neither fusion nor free jazz. Trident (1975) is notable for featuring Tyner on harpsichord (rarely heard in jazz) and celeste, in addition to his primary instrument, piano.

Tyner still records and tours regularly and played from the 1980s through '90s with a trio that included Avery Sharpe on bass and first Louis Hayes, then Aaron Scott, on drums. He made a trio of solo recordings for Blue Note, starting with Revelations (1988) and culminating with Soliloquy (1991). Today Tyner records for the Telarc label and has been playing with different trios, one of which has included Charnett Moffett on bass and Al Foster on drums. In 2008, Tyner toured with his quartet, which featured saxophonist Gary Bartz with Gerald Cannon (bass) and Eric Kamau Gravatt (drums).

McCoy was also a judge for the 6th and 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.

Re-Uploads In Lossless (FLAC)

Note From Dada!

Ώτα μου γεια χαρά,

Ποστάρω αυτά τα δισκάκια για τους φίλους που μου τα ζήτησαν σε lossless μορφή.

Για να μην κάνω διπλά post αλλά και για να τα βρίσκουν όσοι τα θέλουν και σε mp3 μορφη σας βάζω τα links των αναρτήσεων στις οποίες περιλαμβάνονται και τα lossless αρχεία.

Καλή συνέχεια
Radiodada

Africa Boogaloo - The Latinization Of West Africa

 

 

 

Nigeria Rock Special: Psychedelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk In 1970's Nigeria

Another Voyage - The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Rating: 6/10
Sound Quality: Lossless
Format: Flac
Record Label: Original (Cadet), Reissue (Verve)
Year Released: Original (1969), Reissue (2004)
Album Covers: Included
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Note From Dada!

Σχεδόν απ' τις αρχές αλλά ιδιαίτερα στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 1960 αρκετά σχήματα και μουσικοί της jazz πέρασαν σε έναν πιο funky/groovy/soul jazz ήχο αποτέλεσμα (κατά ένα μέρος) της "ηλεκτροποίησης" αρκετών μουσικών οργάνων. Το τρίο του Ramsey Lewis δεν αποτέλεσε εξαίρεση σ' αυτό το "ρεύμα" αν και για να είμαι ειλικρινής προτιμώ τον ακουστικό ήχο που είχαν στις πρώτες τους δισκογραφικές δουλειές. Η σύνθεση του σχήματος παραμένει η ίδια (Lewis, Eaton & White) αλλά υπάρχει και η συμμετοχή του Phil Upchurch στην ηλεκτρική κιθάρα ενώ ο "ηλεκτρισμός" συμπληρώνεται όταν ο Lewis αφήνει το πιάνο και καταπιάνεται με το Fender Rhodes και ο Eaton με το ηλ.μπάσο.

Από το δισκάκι φυσικά δεν λείπουν τα κομμάτια "παλιάς κοπής" του σχήματος όπως για παράδειγμα το πολύ καλό "If You've Got It Flaunt It" που ανοίγει και κλείνει το δίσκο με τις δύο εκδοχές του θέματος. Εκτός όμως από το κομμάτι αυτό απ' το album ξεχωρίζουν τo "Uhuru" στο οποίο ο White παίζει καλίμπα και το ανεβαστικότατο "Do You Wanna" τα οποία σας ποστάρω για να πάρετε μία καλή γέυση.

Ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον έχει και το γεγονός ότι σε κάποια κομμάτια η μπάντα έχει επιλέξει να βάλει κόσμο να μιλάει, να φωνάζει και να χτυπάει παλαμάκια  σαν να θέλει να "συνεχίσει" κάτι που ήταν "σήμα κατατεθέν" στους προηγούμενους δίσκους τους σχήματος καθώς οι περισσότεροι εξ' αυτών ήτο ηχογραφημένοι ζωντανά σε club/μουσικές σκηνές.

Σας φιλώ στο μόντεμ!

Radiodada 

Uhuru - The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Do You Wanna - The Ramsey Lewis Trio

About Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. (born May 27, 1935) is an American jazz icon, composer, pianist and radio personality. He has been referred to as "the great performer", a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc.) along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received five gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.

Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ramsey Lewis, Sr. and Pauline Lewis. Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four. At 15 he joined his first jazz band, The Cleffs. The seven-piece group provided Lewis his first involvement with jazz; he would later join Cleffs drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

The trio started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album, Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing, in 1956. Following their 1965 hit The In Crowd (the single reached #5 on the pop charts, and the album #2) they concentrated more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form the Young-Holt Trio and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White was replaced by Maurice Jennings in 1970. Later, Franky Donaldson and Billy "The Bhudda" Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews also appeared on many 1980's releases.

By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with The In Crowd, Hang On Sloopy, and Wade in the Water. Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience. In the '70s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and using an additional keyboardist in his groups.

In addition to recording and performing, Lewis hosted a morning show on Chicago "smooth jazz" radio station WNUA (95.5 FM) until May 22, 2009. 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. The show can be heard in 60 U.S. cities and overseas. On December 4, 2006, the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show became part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country for the first time. However, the show is still based in Chicago.

In 2006, a well-received 13-episode Legends of Jazz television series hosted by Lewis was broadcast on public TV nationwide and featured live performances by a variety of jazz artists including Larry Gray, Lonnie Smith, Joey Defrancesco, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Kurt Elling, Benny Golson, Pat Metheny and Tony Bennett.

Lewis is artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia (an annual feature at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois) and helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program. Ramsey also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Merit School of Music, a Chicago inner-city music program. Early in 2005, the Ramsey Lewis Foundation was created to help connect at-risk children to the world of music. As an offshoot of that foundation, Lewis plans to form a Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra. In January 2007, the Dave Brubeck Institute invited Lewis to join its Honorary Board of Friends at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Lewis is an Honorary Board member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

Lewis still lives in Chicago, Illinois, the city of his musical roots. He has seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

The In Crowd - The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Rating: 6/10
Sound Quality: Lossless
Format: Flac
Record Label: Original (Argo), Reissue (Verve)
Year Released: Original (1965), Reissue (2007)
Album Covers: Included
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Note From Dada!

Ώτα μου καλημέρα και καλή εβδομάδα

Σας ποστάρω ένα "κλάσικ" δισκάκι - ίσως το γνωστότερο ηχογραφημένο live session των Ramsey Lewis Trio. Album ηχογραφημένο το 1965 (για λογαριασμό της Argo) στο Club Bohemian Caverns στο οποίο άλλωστε έχουν (ξανα)ηχογραφήσει ένα χρόνο νωρίτερα (1964) τον δίσκο τους με τίτλο "Ramsey Lewis Trio At The Bohemian Caverns". Ιδιαίτερα εδώ (αλλά και στα υπόλοιπα live τους  album) το κοινό παίζει καθοριστικό ρόλο στο feeling των κομματιών . Όσο αφορά τις μουσικές επιλογές αυτές αγγίζουν ένα φάσμα από διάφορα είδη. Για παράδειγμα εδώ η μπάντα καταπιάνεται από το "Felicidade" των Jobim/De Moraes, το "Come Sunday" του Ellington εώς και το κλασικό "Love Theme" του Alex North από την ταινία Spartacus. Φυσικά το ομώνυμο και πασίγνωστο "The In Crowd" παραμένει ένα απ' τα κορυφαία του δίσκου.

Καλή ακρόαση!

Radiodada 

The In Crowd - The Ramsey Lewis Trio

About Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. (born May 27, 1935) is an American jazz icon, composer, pianist and radio personality. He has been referred to as "the great performer", a title reflecting his performance style and musical selections which display his early gospel playing and classical training (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, etc.) along with his love of jazz and other musical forms. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received five gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.

Ramsey Lewis was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Ramsey Lewis, Sr. and Pauline Lewis. Lewis began taking piano lessons at the age of four. At 15 he joined his first jazz band, The Cleffs. The seven-piece group provided Lewis his first involvement with jazz; he would later join Cleffs drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio.

The trio started as primarily a jazz unit and released their first album, Ramsey Lewis And The Gentlemen of Swing, in 1956. Following their 1965 hit The In Crowd (the single reached #5 on the pop charts, and the album #2) they concentrated more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form the Young-Holt Trio and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White was replaced by Maurice Jennings in 1970. Later, Franky Donaldson and Billy "The Bhudda" Dickens replaced Jennings and Eaton; Felton Crews also appeared on many 1980's releases.

By 1966, Lewis was one of the nation’s most successful jazz pianists, topping the charts with The In Crowd, Hang On Sloopy, and Wade in the Water. Many of his recordings attracted a large non-jazz audience. In the '70s, Lewis often played electric piano, although by later in the decade he was sticking to acoustic and using an additional keyboardist in his groups.

In addition to recording and performing, Lewis hosted a morning show on Chicago "smooth jazz" radio station WNUA (95.5 FM) until May 22, 2009. 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. The show can be heard in 60 U.S. cities and overseas. On December 4, 2006, the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show became part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country for the first time. However, the show is still based in Chicago.

In 2006, a well-received 13-episode Legends of Jazz television series hosted by Lewis was broadcast on public TV nationwide and featured live performances by a variety of jazz artists including Larry Gray, Lonnie Smith, Joey Defrancesco, Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Kurt Elling, Benny Golson, Pat Metheny and Tony Bennett.

Lewis is artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia (an annual feature at the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, Illinois) and helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program. Ramsey also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Merit School of Music, a Chicago inner-city music program. Early in 2005, the Ramsey Lewis Foundation was created to help connect at-risk children to the world of music. As an offshoot of that foundation, Lewis plans to form a Youth Choir and Youth Orchestra. In January 2007, the Dave Brubeck Institute invited Lewis to join its Honorary Board of Friends at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Lewis is an Honorary Board member of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra.

Lewis still lives in Chicago, Illinois, the city of his musical roots. He has seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Lloyd Miller & The Heliocentrics (OST)

Rating: 6.5/10
Sound Quality: Lossless
Format: Flac
Record Label: Strut
Year Released: 2010
Album Covers: Included
Pass: radiodada

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About Lloyd Miller

Lloyd Miller (b. 1938) is an American musician who is well known for his research work on Persian music.

Lloyd Miller received a doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Utah. His thesis was entitled "Music and Song in Persia". While writing his thesis, he spent 7 years in Tehran as an arts writer for several publications and a PR person for the Center for Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music.

He is native in English and fluent in Persian and French. During the 1950s and 60s, Miller played with top jazz artists in Europe like Don Ellis and Eddie Harris. Miller was interested in eastern culture and music. He moved to Iran and mastered Persian music as well as Iranian folk music genres under the supervision of masters Dr. Daryush Safvat and Mahmoud Karimi.

Dr. Miller is also known as Kurosh Ali Khan, a name he used while hosting a prime-time television show in Tehran, Iran in the 1970s. The program was known as Kurosh Ali Khan va Dustan, or Kurosh Ali Khan and Friends, a variety show with music.

His mother, Mrs. Maxine Adams Miller, was the author of Bright Blue Beads: An American Family In Persia, and Dr. Miller is the author of Music and Song in Persia: The Art of Avaz published by Curzon Press London and also by University of Utah Press.

Lloyd's recording Oriental Jazz, produced in the 1960s, was re-released recently as a CD and is a current popular item in Europe and the UK and features many amazing selections of jazz and oriental music blends.