Ramsey Lewis - Country Meets the Blues (1962/2021)

No doubt inspired by the success Ray Charles had enjoyed with his Modern Sounds In Country Music album, Ramsey Lewis also dived into the country music pool of songs, as well as selecting a few blues standards for Country Meets The Blues. Released towards the end of 1962, the album features Ramsey with his regular trio Ramsey on piano, Eldee Young on bass and Red Holt on drums. Rounding out the sound is a reed and string section, along with choral voices here and there. If the original intention had been to capitalise on a market that Ray Charles had suddenly opened, then the finished article is worthy of interest in its own right. The playing is exceptional all the way through, as you might expect from a player who had already been honing his craft for more than twenty years when the album was released.