Sound of Christmas (Verve)
Ramsey Lewis Trio
Released in 1961
JazzTimes 10 Classic Jazz Christmas Albums
All About Jazz Top Ten Christmas Jazz Albums Of All Time
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k2St_6cGLt-ndBDj1MRdvTM_BBIsOVtGw
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/0YjxIUhLMpx8AitREvQxKl?si=ql8p14aCTGGA74_iYeZm_g
About:
Years before foot-tapping hits like “The ‘In’ Crowd” made him a household name, Ramsey Lewis was well known in the jazz world as a piano virtuoso with a unique touch who could take any song, however unlikely, and make its own. That’s just what he did on this 1961 album, devoted entirely to songs of the holiday season.
From traditional carols like “God rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” to originals like “Christmas Blues”, Lewis and his trio – accompanied on many tracks by a string section – give the merriest time of year a distinctively soulful spin.
Track Listing:
1. Merry Christmas, Baby (Lou Baxter / Johnny Moore) 04:04
2. Winter Wonderland (Felix Bernard / Dick Smith) 02:11
3. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town (J. Fred Coots / Haven Gillespie) 02:25
4. Christmas Blues (Skitch Henderson / Ramsey Lewis) 02:50
5. Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry / Oakley Haldeman) 02:41
6. The Sound of Christmas (Riley Hampton / Ramsey Lewis) 02:22
7. The Christmas Song (Mel Tormé / Robert Wells) 03:18
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Traditional) 03:19
9. Sleigh Ride (Leroy Anderson / Mitchell Parish) 02:58
10. What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve? (Frank Loesser) 03:27
Personnel:
Ramsey Lewis: piano
Eldee Young: bass
Redd Holt: drums
String section (6-10):
Sol Bobrou, David Chausow, Leonard Chausow, Oscar Chausow, Karl Fruh, Irving Kaplan, Harold Kupper, Abe Meltzer, Emil Podsada, Theodore Silavin;
Riley Hampton: arranger and conductor
Recorded October 1961 at Ter-Mar Recording Studios, Chicago
Producer: Ralph Bass
Engineering: Ron Malo
Mastering: Bob Irwin, Jayme Pieruzzi
Cover Design: Don Bronstein
Art Direction: Hollis King
Art Producer: Sherniece Smith
Executive Producer: Ken Druker
Review:
Those who purchase a Christmas album are mainly looking for festive music suitable for decorating the tree or baking cookies and not an introspective, challenging listening experience. Thus an artist who records such a record must take into account what the audience wants to hear and not his own musical aspirations, which may be why Mingus and Miles never recorded one. Ramsey Lewis, however, is the perfect guy for such a task, since he always approached playing jazz from the standpoint of creating a catchy hit with the public rather than arty noodling. Although recorded in 1961, a few years before he hit it big with “The ‘In’ Crowd,” he still can swing harder than most at this early stage.
Lewis and his trio barrel through the first five songs with a healthy dose of jubilant bounce and a penchant for uncovering the unexpected blue notes in carols. He glides through “Winter Wonderland” with heavy, funky chords and a propulsive snap but takes a more reverent approach on “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town,” a slow, gospel-tinged treatment.
The latter half of the album adds a string section (which fortunately doesn’t oversaturate the music with glitz like on other Christmas albums) and Lewis tinkers around with the celeste a little bit here. “The Sound Of Christmas” is one of the most euphoric songs, a cascading wash of strings and bells awash with the glee of holiday tunes. While Lewis deserves most of the credit, Eldee Young and Redd Holt also deserve an extra candy cane for providing such enthusiastic support.
Simply put, this is one of the most flat-out fun jazz Christmas albums you’ll find. Lewis avoids the overly reverent—no “Silent Night” or “What Child Is This?”—in favor of songs he can tear through with the brisk gait of a sleigh ride and the delight of a full stocking. Lewis was later criticized for his eagerness to land on the charts, but his sensitivity to the tastes of the public served him well here.
David Rickert (All About Jazz)
