“Ramsey Lewis is a man who has touched all of our lives. Not everybody finds their calling in life as a four-year-old boy sitting at a piano in the living room, but ever since he did he’s filled our lives with music and with joy.” President Barack Obama
This immersive new autobiography provides insight into the early life and illustrious career of the late great Ramsey Lewis, one of the most popular jazz pianists of all time.
Beginning with his childhood growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood, Ramsey Lewis recounts his memories of the music in his parents’ church and his early piano lessons. As he learned classical technique, Lewis also absorbed countless jazz records and heard gospel music weekly, finally becoming a performer himself in his teenage years. With his coauthor and collaborator, Aaron Cohen, Lewis describes his early steps in jazz from joining the Clefs in the ’50s, to eventually establishing the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
This memoir provides an evocative tour of Lewis’s life from the club circuit of the early 1960s and recording with Chess Records to working with producer Maurice White and musicians such as Stevie Wonder. In this deep dive into an exceptional life and expansive career, Lewis takes us through his artistic challenges, offers insight and perspective on his own musical growth and the creative process, and describes his eventual foray into symphonic composition and performance.
Gentleman of Jazz: A Life in Music is an inspiration to young musicians eager to follow in his footsteps and a tribute to the legacy of Ramsey Lewis and is sure to appeal to longtime fans as well as those new to the jazz scene.
“Ramsey Lewis is a man who has touched all of our lives. Not everybody finds their calling in life as a four-year-old boy sitting at a piano in the living room, but ever since he did he’s filled our lives with music and with joy.” President Barack Obama
“This book is a treasure chest of jazz history, and one gets a chance to be a painting on the walls of sorts to some of the most iconic moments in the life and times of the great Ramsey Lewis. Ramsey is true music royalty. A great mentor, family, and friend. His legacy reigns on. Fantastic read.” Philip Bailey, Grammy-winning lead singer of Earth, Wind & Fire
“Dion Graham’s brisk pacing works well to invite listeners into the energetic life and career of jazz icon Ramsey Lewis…This audiobook defines an important American musician who made major contributions to twentieth-century jazz.” AudioFile
“Lewis provides a straightforward, candid, and lively account of his more than sixty-year-long musical journey that will appeal to general readers and jazz fans.” Library Journal
“Poignant…Lewis’s artistry is on full display (documented in an annotated discography) even as Cohen laments that Lewis has been overlooked in jazz history texts. Gentleman of Jazz, he notes, ‘is intended to help correct the blanks in that historical record.’ It does so with grace and, yes, a gentlemanly dignity.” Booklist
Language | English |
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Release Day | May 8, 2023 |
Release Date | May 9, 2023 |
Release Date Machine | 1683590400 |
Imprint | Blackstone Publishing |
Provider | Blackstone Publishing |
Categories | Arts & Entertainment, Biographies & Memoirs, Cultural & Regional, Art & Literature, Music, Entertainment & Celebrities |
Overview
This immersive new autobiography provides insight into the early life and illustrious career of the late great Ramsey Lewis, one of the most popular jazz pianists of all time.
Beginning with his childhood growing up in Chicago’s Cabrini Green neighborhood, Ramsey Lewis recounts his memories of the music in his parents’ church and his early piano lessons. As he learned classical technique, Lewis also absorbed countless jazz records and heard gospel music weekly, finally becoming a performer himself in his teenage years. With his coauthor and collaborator, Aaron Cohen, Lewis describes his early steps in jazz from joining the Clefs in the ’50s, to eventually establishing the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
This memoir provides an evocative tour of Lewis’s life from the club circuit of the early 1960s and recording with Chess Records to working with producer Maurice White and musicians such as Stevie Wonder. In this deep dive into an exceptional life and expansive career, Lewis takes us through his artistic challenges, offers insight and perspective on his own musical growth and the creative process, and describes his eventual foray into symphonic composition and performance.
Gentleman of Jazz: A Life in Music is an inspiration to young musicians eager to follow in his footsteps and a tribute to the legacy of Ramsey Lewis and is sure to appeal to longtime fans as well as those new to the jazz scene.