Ramsey Lewis — Don’t It Feel Good / Sâlongo / Tequila Mockingbird
As we’ve come to expect from BGO we get a nicely classy presentation to this releases- with the two CD’s coming in a slimline double CD case. This features a glossy twenty-page inlay booklet that takes in full credits for each of the four albums and a new eleven-page write-up about the four albums & Lewis career in the 1970’s. With the whole thing coming in a coloured card slip sleeve
Ramsey Lewis output spans between the mid-1950’s & the 2000’s, seeing him releasing an impressive 80 albums over his career thus far. Starting from melodic & lightly boppish –to- straight ahead piano jazz of his early releases. Onto approachable trio recordings, through to more Latin rhythmic themed material. Onto the funk/pop funk themed material & fusion material- & really through-out Lewis has been wholly versatile & responsive to fashions/ shifts- always giving his material both a sleek & well-rounded feel, even when he openly mimics the sounds of others.
This release finds two albums per disc, with a running time of both discs coming in well over the seventy-minute mark. First up on disc one we have 1975’s Don’t It Feel Good, and this offers up a selection of ten tracks that squarely sit between & mix together elements of funk, funk jazz, and grooving- mostly- upbeat soul music. If I’d compare the album to anything I’d say the early Boosty Collins solo albums, but with of course more of a keyboard- than- bass focus. As you get a fairly even split between tight & grooving funk work-outs edged with the typical cheeky & playful P-funk focused vocalizing. And slightly more laid-back & melodic soul jazz- funk. With Lewis playing a nice blend of Rhodes, ARP Odyssey, clavinet, and Steinway. And his surrounding nine-piece band offering up a nice layered blend of ARP String Ensemble, Moog, guitar, fender bass, horns, flute, congas, and vocals
Second, up on disc one, we have 1976 "Salong"- this offers up seven tracks, and saw Lewis moving away from the more focused blend of Funk, Jazz-funk & soul- jazz of the previous album, towards more of a jazz/ jazz-fusion sound with an often pronounced African & Latin feel. Sure we still step back to more funk bound/ soul pop stylings, but for the most part, it’s a more jazz-focused affair. Once again there’s enough variation with type & pace of track present here, though at times it does feel slightly less fun & focused than Don’t It Feel Good.
Moving onto the second disc & first up we have 1977’s Tequila Mockingbird. This presents up eight tracks, and really the sound here steps even far away from the funky/ groovy feel of the past two albums, for a more sophisticated blend of dramatic easy listening, light instrumental jazz-pop, and more piano bar led buoyant & mid-paced jam-outs. It’s a really pleasing & mostly mellow collection of tracks, and if you dig more of the lighter jazz pop instrumental vibe of the late 70’s you’ll enjoy what’s on offer here.
Last up we have 1977’s Love Notes, this offers up another seven tracks, and I guess this is once again very much easy listening/ light- jazz/ instrumental pop/ rock fusion leaning. But with the Lewis really been the center of it all with his virtuoso, flowing & cascading keyboard work taking in Steinway grand piano, Fender Rhodes & mini Moog. Sure at least one or two tracks hark back to the more straight & playful funk vibe of Don’t It Feel Good, or the more Latin focused rhythms of the Salong album- but as a whole it feels less of a collective recording, and more of a Lewis straight solo album- as he’s basically leading the flow of the tracks here.
All told this is a worthy & fairly vaired collection of mid-to-late 1970’s albums from Mr Lewis. And I can see them appealing to both fans of straight & cheeky jazz funk, more Latin fueled fusion, and blends of dramatic easy listening pop-jazz.