11°c Overcast
18°c Light rain
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Lewis wins over audience right from the start
Ramsey Lewis (M. SPENCER GREEN / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES)
From gospel to John Coltrane to Stevie Wonder to himself, Ramsey Lewis played it all Friday night to an enthusiastic audience at the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival.
The Chicago native, performing mainly on piano but also on Rhodes electric piano, had his audience from the first notes of the opening tune, Wade in the Water, one of his 1960s crossover hits. And he held their attention through 95 minutes of great music until he bookended his Burton Cummings Theatre show with the widely popular The In Crowd.
There was a lot of gospel in the 77-year-old’s set list to get audience members swaying in their seats, and more than a dash of funk in Wonder’s Living For The City to get hands clapping and bums moving.
He took chestnuts like To Know Her is to Love Her and, with the help of guitarist Henry Johnson, gave it some new life and appeal. Johnson, another Chicagoan, played a key role in Lewis’s band, helping set the pace playing rhythm and taking tasteful, yet powerful solos throughout the night.
The music of John Coltrane made it into the mix as well, in a medley of the saxophonist’s Dear Lord and Lewis’s own composition, Blessings, with delightful piano solos and spare, tasteful accompaniment from band members Johnson, bassist Joshua Ramos, drummer Charles Heath and keyboard player Tim Gant.
Another ballad, Love Song, featured delicate piano work by Lewis augmented with some atmospheric playing by Gant. Brasilica, a Latin-tinged number was set up as a showcase for drummer Heath.
The band included Sun Goddess, the title tune from Lewis’s successful 1970s electric band album, before giving the audience what they had been waiting for all night, The In Crowd.
Concert Review
Ramsey Lewis
- TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival
- Burton Cummings Theatre
- June 22
- 4 stars out of 5
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 8 articles for today)
PM's chief of staff Nigel Wright resigns
9:27 AM 0The prime minister's chief of staff announced his resignation early Sunday, saying he left his post in light of the ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Head-on collision kills pickup driver
- Leaving a gang isn't easy — Sidney Letandre, now a paraplegic, knows it all too well
- 'It's a beautiful story': There's not always a tomorrow to say you're sorry or make things right
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- One dead in Highway 10 collision
- Police make grow-op bust
- Two women face rare charges of harbouring alleged murderer
- Province announces service for Elijah Harper
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- US woman credits 'mother's instincts' in chase of 4-year-old daughter's abductor
- Flood victim gets six years for shotgun threat, attack
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Susan Griffiths dies in Switzerland
- Woman killed in head-on crash in southwestern Manitoba
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Manitoba's changing spiritual landscape
- Li granted additional day passes
- Raleigh holds annual tour of backyard chicken coops, part of national spread of urban farming
- WHO warns Saudi coronavirus may be spreading; calls for urgent search for source
- Province announces service for Elijah Harper
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- U.S. bill would give Canadian snowbirds more time to spend in the sun
- Guitar-playing astronaut bows out of space station with music video of Bowie's 'Space Oddity'
- Microsoft update to address Windows 8 complaints, confusion will be free; to be called 8.1
- Horrific crash kills minivan driver near Brandon
- Uganda: Blessed are the children
- Winning 6/49 ticket purchased in Winnipeg
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Paul McCartney to play Winnipeg Aug. 12
- Ontario steps in to help save ELA
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- An uncommon phenomenon
- RCMP charge man with double-homicide in Ethelbert
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.