A Tribute to Jazz Legend Ramsey Lewis, 1935 - 2022
The jazz world said goodbye to one of its great innovators earlier this month when Chicago native Ramsey Lewis passed away at age 87. While his name may not carry the same gravitas as jazz heavyweights Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, or John Coltrane, his contributions to the artform were just as impactful. KPLU Radio/Wikimedia Commons Chances are if you've never heard of Ramsey Lewis, you've definitely heard him and just didn't realize he was playing the music. In a career that spanned 66 years he recorded more than 80 albums, all of them featuring his distinctive style on piano. A style that was improvisational and deeply rooted in the blues like most great jazz artists, but had an everyman appeal that could please ears unaccustomed to the jazz genre. Most of those ears were introduced to Lewis' music via 1965's "The 'In' Crowd", the highest charting tune of his career. It's easy to see why: Clocking in at just under six minutes, Lewis' si...