Album review: RAMSEY LEWIS – Les Fleurs / Fantasy / Keys To The City (Remasters)

BGO Records www.bgo-records.com [Release date 31.03.23]

BGO have done a great job releasing back catalogue from a number of big name artists and labels and packaging several albums on a couple of discs together with extensive liner notes in a neat slipcase.

It is a great way to revisit and re-evaluate albums which (a) might have glanced by when you flicked through the racks c.1987 (b) replace fading vinyl (c) admit that you always had a soft spot for jazz funk.

These three albums from Ramsey Lewis date from 1983 and could be called “mid-period”. BGO have already released such classics as ‘Wade In The Water’ and in particular ‘Sun Goddess’. It was on that album that Lewis received the reflected glory of members of then ascendant Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF).

If the eighties stuff was more low-key, this was the era of nascent smooth jazz and Lewis was well placed to capitalise on the airwaves popularity of this genre, initially in the States and later in the UK.

On Les Fleurs there is though a dichotomy between Ramsey Lewis’ more traditional approach (vibrant jazz piano figures) and a more contemporary pop feel. With arrangements by Tom Tom 84, the producer Tom Washington who had worked with The Jacksons and Phil Collins, it doesn’t really take the pianist out of his comfort zone.

A cover of Olivia Newton-John’s hit ‘Physical’ features another great player Ronnie Laws on sax and session giant Paul Jackson on guitar. But in context this seems somewhat incongruous.

Two years later, on Fantasy Lewis embraced the DX-7 synthesiser showing that he could move with the times. With assistance from band member Morris “Butch” Stewart, Lewis was brought into the age of samplers and programming. The album is more upbeat, disco, fare and with vocals. In truth it was probably not distinctive enough to counter competitors such as George Duke and Spyro Gyra. And the keyboard stabs certainly place it in the “eighties retro” category.

For the final (and strongest) album in this trilogy Keys To The City Earth Wind & Fire’s keyboard player Larry Dunn was added to the production credits. This helped Lewis maintain the modern approach and amongst the highlights are the title track and ‘Melody Of Life’ (with Don Myrick on sax) and 7-11 (in spite of a reference to Stevie Wonder’s ‘Don’t You Worry About A Thing’) co-written by and featuring EWF’s Maurice White. ‘Strangers’ is particularly good too.

The album underlines that Lewis is at his best when just playing straight-ahead instrumentals and his Steinway Concert Grand.

Sadly Ramsey Lewis passed away in September 2022, but this great value threesome highlights a still significant part of his story. ****

Review by David Randall

Album review (Funky Serenity/Newly Recorded…/Solar Wind/Sun Goddess, 2018)
Album review (Hang On Ramsey/Wade In The Water/Don’t It Feel Good/Salongo/Tequila Mockingbird/Love Notes, 2018)
Album review (Legacy/Ramsey/Live At The Savoy/Chance Encounter, 2018)

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