Chicago Smooth

Jazz Math

What do you get when you subtract 1935 from 2015?  80.

What do you get when you add 50 to 30?  You get 80. 

What do 3, 7, 33, 1, 13, 12, 9, 2 add up to?  Why 80 of course.

And why is 80 such an important number? 

Because this year it is the magical number that belongs to one of the best and most well rounded of Chicago jazz men, Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis.  He just turned 80 last month on May 27^th.

The second equation represents his big hit "The In Crowd," released on July 31, 1965, when he was 30 years old, and this summer it is marking its 50^th anniversary.    

The last numerical representation is for three gold records, seven Grammys, thirty three slots on the Billboard 200 chart, one syndicated radio show, thirteen Legends of Jazz PBS television shows, twelve years as on-air host at WNUA, nine years on BET Television hosting and 2 years teaching at Roosevelt University. 

And last, Ramsey has over 80 albums stretching from vinyl to CD and back again.

What makes him so important to Chicago jazz fans?  Because he got famous and never left us. He might play all over the world, but he lives with us.  As artistic director at Ravinia, teacher at Roosevelt University and on air radio host on WNUA, he contributed to our jazz life every day for the last 30 years.

From 1997 to 2009, he talked to us every weekday morning.  The show became part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other smooth jazz stations across the country until the unfortunate cancellation in May, 2009, when WNUA switched over to a Spanish format. For those of you listening that day, you will remember that his was the last smooth jazz voice we heard before a painful pause of dead air which was followed by mariachi music.

Happy Birthday Ramsey, Happy Anniversary to the In Crowd and thank you so much. 

~Lydia Barnes ([email protected])

Our Smooth Video of the Day:  Ramsey and the one we never let he leave the stage without performing.

 

All About Eve

Most people think only of Christmas and New Year’s as days that have Eves.  But in the Chat Box at SmoothJazzChicago.net we often give that status to other days.  It speaks of a time of anticipation; it notes a time of joyful expectation.  Who doesn’t smile when they hear "Friday Eve" instead of plain old Thursday?

Rick O'Dell has been giving Eve status to all kinds of days for a very long time.  Back in the early 1990s I won some tickets from a contest that he ran at you-know-where.* The prize consisted of admission to the VIP section and lunch for six at Arlington Park Racetrack. 

Looking at the calendar and realizing that racing was running the day before Father’s Day, my husband and I put a plan in place.  We arranged for a limo, bought Racing Forums, several bottles of Champagne and two Father’s Day cards.  Printing out the info about the trip, we delivered the cards two weeks early, to the happy surprise of our Dads. 

That day, we drank mimosas with our parents on the way to the track, while we had the chauffeur tune into the station on the way.  Once we got there, we were escorted to the VIP section by a uniformed usher, given programs for the day's races, got served a magnificent lunch and watched the races long into the afternoon.  It was such a great day that our mother’s were heard to brag that it was a belated Mother’s Day present too!   

Now that both Dads are no longer with us, we remember that day as the greatest Father’s Day Eve ever.

~Lydia Barnes ([email protected])

Our Smooth Video of the Day:  The most famous tune about dear-old-dad.

 

Rick Braun                                                            “Silk”                                                                       Artistry

African-American Music Appreciation Month

If you think it is a new thing, I understand. So did I.  But it started back in 1979, when three music powerhouses lobbied President Jimmy Carter to designate the month of June Black Music Month. 

Who was the trio that got us a whole month to appreciate and enjoy the music? It was Kenny Gamble, one of the architects of the "Philly Soul" sound, who also co-wrote and produced Jerry Butler’s “Only the Strong Survive,” Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs. Jones” and many other hits. Dyana Williams, a broadcaster, journalist, community activist and co-founder of the Pennsylvania-based non-profit advocacy organization, the International Association of African American Music Foundation.  And lastly, Ed Wright, a long time broadcaster.  

I don’t always know that someone has named a year or a month or a day for something.  However, there is a different reason that I was confused.

My confusion comes from the fact that all the other presidents have announced it to the public as Black Music Month until President Barack Obama took office and further refined it by announcing it with the more internationally suave name.  In an interview, he said that the start of summer is a celebration for all the black “musicians, composers, singers, and songwriters [who] have made enormous contributions to our culture.”

So, it seems the city of Chicago has got it right.  By doing the Blues Fest at the start of the season and the Jazz Fest at the end, we make summer the season of appreciation.

~Lydia Barnes ([email protected])

Our Smooth Video of the Day:   Larry Carlton performs one of Kenny Gamble's most famous songs.

   

Stevie Wonder's Latest Milestone

Stevie Wonder.  How can you write a short piece about Stevie Wonder?  His name says it all; he is a musical wonder.  From his days at Motown as an 11 year old prodigy to headlining the Calgary Stampede this summer, Stevland Hardaway Morris, does it all.  Composing music and lyrics, singing, producing and playing a host of instruments, there doesn’t seem to be enough time in any day for all that he has accomplished.

Twenty five Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Grammy is just the start.  He has over two dozen albums with many of them gone Platinum. 

His songs are loved worldwide.  Most recently, the Royal Artillery Band played "Isn’t She Lovely" to announce and celebrate the birth of Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, the newest heir to the throne of England.

Stevie Wonder turned 65 on May 13. So, I will stop here and say, Happy Birthday, Stevie. You are the sunshine in our lives.

To honor Stevie's milestone birthday, veteran keyboardist Bob Baldwin has a new CD, Mellowonder / Songs in the Key of Stevie, coming out June 16. About it Bob says, "As a budding young musician and keyboardist, the key albums that impacted me the most were Innervisions, Fulfilingness First Finale, Music of My Mind and Talking Book."  He continues, "Those projects had a warmth that was unexplainable and, as a result, those four projects are very unique to his entire catalogue, so I wanted to create my own vibe that spoke to his use of the keyboard as an arranging tool which, of course, is miles ahead these days due to the application of digital technology."

~Lydia Barnes ([email protected])

Our Smooth Video of the Day:  A track from the new Bob Baldwin.