Who is Ramsey Lewis?

Wow. Here I am, working away at designs, listening to Spotify’s “This is Blue Note Jazz” playlist when an obscure jazz version of a Beatles song catches my attention. I immediately look into it and discover this artist, Ramsey Lewis, and his album “Mother Nature’s Son, which is a jazz/synth cover album with mostly Beatles songs from the White Album. Usually a cover of a Beatles song falls flat (in my opinion) when it is not performed by one of the members of that group. In this case, the synth and jazz fusion of Ramsey Lewis put my fears to rest as he weaves Julia, Blackbird, and Back in the U.S.S.R. through my headphones repeatedly for the next day. So, I did what any God fearing man does next…I googled Ramsey in search of his breakthrough hit. And there it was: 1965’s “The In Crowd” performed live by the bohemian Caverns in D.C. by the Ramsey Lewis Trio. This is the first Jazz album I’ve been excited about in a while. First of all, the album art is PERFECT. Classic Chess Records look and feel. Red, yellow, and orange hues and a photo that reminds you of a night on the town with your friends who are down to fall into a dive bar for some good music. Give it a listen some time! I’ll have to research Ramsey Lewis more - and will certainly write about it here at Bardis Design - but for now, back to work I go.