music
‘Rest in Power’ – Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis is dead
Jazz pianist and composer Ramsey Lewis has died. photo
© M. Spencer Green/AP/dpa
As a toddler, Ramsey Lewis learned to play the piano. With “The In Crowd” he became world famous. But many German radio listeners should remember one piece in particular.
The American jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, who became known for hits like “The In Crowd” and “Hang on Sloopy”, is dead. According to his management, the three-time Grammy award winner died “peacefully” on Monday at his home in Chicago State of Illinois. He was 87 years old.
Illinois Gov. Jay Robert Pritzker expressed his condolences on Twitter. “He was an immensely talented musician who left a huge mark on the jazz world,” the Democrat wrote.
Illinois House Representative Kam Buckner paid tribute to Lewis as a true “Chicagoan.” He wrote on Twitter: “Rest in power #RamseyLewis”.
Lewis, who learned to play the piano as an infant, joined the jazz band The Clefs as a student, which formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio in the 1950s. With the hit “The In Crowd” the band became known worldwide in 1965. Her cross-genre style also mixed pop, blues and soul elements.
In the 1970s, Lewis turned to R&B and Latin music, among other things. In 1983 he recreated his most famous trio on the album “Reunion”.
In 2007, Lewis received the prestigious National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master Award for his life’s work. This puts him in the same category as jazz pianists such as Ahmad Jamal, Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner. The track “The In Crowd” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
According to his management, the musician was recently working on a new album that is due to be released in November. In 2023 his memoirs entitled “Gentleman of Jazz” are to be published.
Many German radio listeners are likely to have a piece by Lewis in their ears. From 1979 to 2020, the audience of the “Reports from Today” was greeted on weekdays with the words: “It’s 11:30 p.m. Here are the North German and West German broadcasters.” This was followed by the theme song: “Wade in the Water” by the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
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