Legends of Jazz with Ramsey Lewis Season 1

Not since Ralph J. Gleason's esteemed Jazz Casual series in the 1960s has there been a TV program for jazz lovers as classy and enjoyable as pianist Ramsey Lewis' Legends of Jazz, the complete first season of which is issued here on three discs. Each of the 12 shows is devoted to a particular instrument (trumpet, piano organ, alto sax, tenor sax, voice) or jazz style (contemporary, Latin, Brazilian; there's also a blues segment), with two or three guests on hand; the balance and range of the musicians are impressive, from old hands like trumpeter Clark Terry, pianist Dave Brubeck, and tenor saxist Benny Golson to younger, more contemporary-oriented lions like singers Kurt Elling and Jane Monheit, organist Joey DeFrancesco, and trumpeter Chris Botti. And considering that the running time for each installment is less than 25 minutes, Lewis manages to cover a lot of ground, including some historical background, interviews with the musicians, individual performances, and, best of all, a jam featuring all the participants. Highlights are far too numerous to list here, but definitely not to be missed are trumpeter Roy Hargrove's bravura take on "Invitation," Hammond B3 organist's Dr. Lonnie Smith's totally in-the-groove "Caravan," altoist Phil Woods' "Star Eyes" (Woods is also a highly amusing raconteur; his anecdote about his first meeting with Charlie Parker is not to be missed), and Elling and Al Jarreau's "Take Five" duet, to name just a few. It helps that Lewis, famed for his 1965 hit take on "The In Crowd," is a musician who knows how to ask the right questions and when to say nothing. To top it off, the show was produced in High Definition and features the best TV studio sound you'll ever hear. The very existence of a program like Legends of Jazz is nigh on astonishing in an era when mainstream jazz's profile is perhaps lower than ever; that the show is as good as it is provides cause for genuine celebration. --Sam Graham