[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 102 (Wednesday, June 24, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4590-S4591]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATING RAMSEY LEWIS

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I wish to take a moment to congratulate a 
native son of Chicago who has earned worldwide acclaim as a jazz 
pianist and who will soon achieve a lifelong dream of conducting and 
soloing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
  Ramsey Lewis is a true American original--a virtuoso pianist and 
musical innovator who helped pioneer the sound many refer to as 
``smooth jazz.'' Fifty-one years ago he and his band, the Ramsey Lewis 
Trio, recorded a song that became an instant sensation and which 
remains a definitive classic of the cool jazz genre. It's called ``The 
In Crowd.'' You know the refrain: ``I'm in with the in crowd. I go 
where the in crowd goes.''
  That song was recorded live at Bohemian Caverns in Washington, DC, 
with almost no rehearsal. It sounds like a fable but it is true. That 
afternoon Ramsey and his bandmates--drummer Isaac ``Redd'' Holt and 
bassist Eldee Young--were sitting in a Washington, DC, coffee shop, 
debating what they could add to their set that night to make the 
recording stand out. Their waitress, a woman by the name of Nettie 
Gray, asked what was wrong. They explained their predicament.
  Miss Nettie Gray walked over to the jukebox, dropped a coin in the 
slot and said: ``Listen to this.'' It was ``The In Crowd,'' sung by 
Dobie Gray--a popular hit at the time. The trio quickly worked out a 
jazz arrangement and used the song to end their set that evening. The 
crowd loved it. Audiences everywhere loved it. ``The In Crowd'' became 
the first of seven gold records by the Ramsey Lewis Trio.
  What makes that story even more amazing is that ``The In Crowd'' was 
just one of four albums the Ramsey Lewis Trio recorded that year, 1964. 
Talk about prolific.
  All told, this jazz legend has recorded 80 albums in an illustrious 
career that has spanned more than half a century. He has earned 3 
Grammy Awards, 7 gold records, and hosted a nationally syndicated radio 
show and a 13-episode ``Legends of Jazz'' TV series on PBS.
  In addition, he has served as artistic director of Jazz at Ravinia 
since 1992. He also helped organize Ravinia's Jazz Mentor Program. He 
serves on the board of trustees for the Merit School of Music in 
Chicago and The Chicago High School for the Arts. And a decade ago he 
created the Ramsey Lewis Foundation to help connect at-risk children to 
the world of music.
  Many artists might decide that such a resume was long and impressive 
enough--but not Ramsey Lewis. At the age of 80, Ramsey Lewis is 
preparing to fulfill the dream of a lifetime. On August 8, he will 
serve as conductor and soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at 
the Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, IL, just outside of Chicago.
  Ravinia is the oldest music festival in North America. Over the years 
it has hosted such musical giants as Louis Armstrong, Pablo Casals, 
Aaron Copland, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, George Gershwin, 
Luciano Pavarotti, and Yoyo Ma. It is also the summer home of the 
Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
  Ramsey Lewis' debut as conductor and soloist with the CSO is a 
testament to his musical genius and dexterity. It is also a testament 
to his ability to see beyond narrow expectations about what is possible 
for musicians of color.

[[Page S4591]]

  Ramsey Lewis has been playing the piano since he was 4 years old. He 
knew at a young age that he wanted to play classical piano. But a music 
teacher told him when he was still a boy to give up that dream because 
the world of classical music was not open to musicians with skin the 
color of Ramsey's.
  Fortunately for all of us, Ramsey Lewis had the good sense to know 
that was nonsense. He has played and recorded countless forms of 
music--and helped to invent new forms. In doing so, he has helped to 
create a world where every child is freer to pursue his or her own 
dreams.
  Mr. Lewis' August 8 performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra 
at Ravinia is a continuation of what the Chicago Tribune has called a 
``Ramsey Renaissance'' as a composer. His collaborator in this new 
chapter of his career is Ravinia president and CEO Welz Kauffman, who 
commissioned Mr. Lewis to write a piano concerto for his CSO debut. In 
recent years, Mr. Kauffman has commissioned Mr. Lewis to write other 
pieces, including a jazz ballet for the Joffrey Ballet Company, and 
``Proclamation of Hope,'' a celebration of Abraham Lincoln on the 
bicentennial of his birth. Both works made their world premieres at 
Ravinia.
  In 2002 Ramsey Lewis was chosen to carry the Olympic torch as it 
passed through Chicago on its run to Salt Lake City. With his debut 
with the CSO at Ravinia, Ramsey Lewis will light up the night sky again 
with his own special brilliance. What a joyous celebration it will be.

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