Back To The Roots
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Album Summary
Ramsey Lewis laid down 'Back To The Roots' in 1971 for Cadet Records, the storied subsidiary of Chess Records that had been his musical home through some of the most celebrated chapters of his career. This was a man on a mission — at a time when the music industry was pulling jazz artists in every direction, toward fusion, toward funk, toward whatever was moving units, Lewis chose to plant his feet firmly in the soil that raised him. Produced during a pivotal moment for both the artist and the legendary Chess family of labels, the album stretched across a generous double-album format, giving Lewis the room to breathe, explore, and testify across jazz, blues, and gospel-drenched territory. It was the sound of a master pianist reaching back to reach forward.
Reception
- The album was embraced by fans of Lewis's earlier acoustic jazz work as an ambitious and spiritually grounded effort, one that honored his roots without turning its back on the contemporary sounds he had helped popularize.
- Critics recognized the double-album format as a bold artistic declaration, though some felt the expansive length occasionally challenged the record's overall cohesion as a singular listening experience.
- The album performed modestly on jazz charts, in keeping with Lewis's enduring stature as one of the most commercially recognized and beloved jazz pianists of his generation.
Significance
- 'Back To The Roots' stood as a deliberate and powerful reassertion of Lewis's jazz identity at a moment when the pressure to fully surrender to fusion or funk-pop formulas was bearing down hard on artists of his caliber and profile.
- The album's deep embrace of blues and gospel elements was no accident — it was a celebration of Lewis's Chicago musical heritage and a profound statement about the continuity and resilience of Black American musical tradition.
- The extended improvisational passages captured throughout the record documented Lewis's live-oriented, conversational piano voice in a studio setting, preserving a rich and irreplaceable snapshot of his artistry at full maturity in the years following his landmark 'The In Crowd' breakthrough.
Tracklist
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A1 Candida 141
2:59
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A2 We've Only Just Begun 97
3:58
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A3 Back To The Roots 106
3:02
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A4 Love Now On 86
5:07
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A5 Fool On The Hill 144
6:05
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B1 SInce I Fell For You 170
3:03
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B2 Up In Yonder 176
4:37
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B3 Crescent Noon 86
4:33
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B4 He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother 126
7:02
Artist Details
Ramsey Lewis is an acclaimed American jazz pianist and composer born on May 27, 1935, in Chicago, Illinois, where he would go on to form the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1956 alongside bassist Eldee Young and drummer Red Holt. His sound blends traditional jazz with gospel, blues, pop, and soul influences, creating an accessible and soulful style that helped bridge the gap between jazz purists and mainstream audiences. Lewis achieved enormous commercial success with his 1965 live recording of The In Crowd, which reached number two on the pop charts and earned him a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording, a remarkable crossover achievement for a jazz artist. Throughout his career spanning over six decades, he recorded more than 80 albums and hosted the long-running public television series Legends of Jazz, further cementing his role as both a performer and ambassador of the art form. Lewis remains a pivotal figure in American music history, recognized for making jazz approachable to a broader audience without sacrificing artistic integrity, and his influence continues to be felt across jazz, soul, and contemporary music.
