Learning Lessons at "Ramsey University"

LEARNING LESSONS AT “RAMSEY UNIVERSITY”

BASSIST CHUCK WEBB DISCUSSES HIS DECADE PLAYING WITH THE PIANO LEGEND

By Corey Hall

Chuck Webb

“We were all in ‘Ramsey University,”

Quietly…intensely…consistently…

Bassist Chuck Webb emphasized the above when recalling all he learned from Ramsey Lewis during a 10- year tenure with his band. Webb recently reminisced about the internationally respected pianist, educator, and composer who died on September 12 at age 87. Lewis’ six-decade career encompassed everything from acoustic jazz standards such as “The ‘In’ Crowd,” deep explorations into funk, fusion, and classical.

Webb observed firsthand how Lewis pursued an honest connection – not just prodigious chops, pretentious chord changes, or speed just because – to reach his audience. “He would stress the importance of playing quietly… to whisper, but with authority,” said Webb, also an accomplished educator, bandleader, and recording artist. “From listening to him, I learned how to play quietly for long periods of time and not let it get boring.

“We were all in ‘Ramsey University,” Webb continued, referring to his colleagues, drummer Kwame Steve Cobb, guitarist Henry Johnson, and second keyboardist Michael Logan. “We were all learning the same lessons while listening to him.”

While Webb began playing with Lewis in 1990, he had known him since the ‘70s. Webb and Lewis’ son, Kevyn, (who preceded him in death,) played in Quiet Fire, a band the two formed while in elementary school. This band – which also included Miguel de la Cerna – practiced at Lewis’ home. There, Webb saw how Kevyn would play on free equipment his father had received but did not want.

As the Ramsey Lewis band’s newest member, Webb would be called “Young Blood” by the leader. And when preparing to play his first gigs, he learned that “Ramsey didn’t have anything written down. It was like, ‘Here are some tapes from last month and last year.’ There were about 40 songs I had to learn.” During one performance early into his entry, Lewis asked Webb if he had learned “Close Your Eyes and Remember.”

Nope!Still, Lewis began playing said song.

“He just looked at me, smiled, and said, ‘On-the-job training, young man. On-the-job training,’” Webb recalled. “I just had to fake it until I made it.”

Lewis, Webb added, exhibited genuine artistry with whatever style he chose, something very few artists then or now have achieved. “There was a period when Ramsey was wearing leather clothes, big, wild glasses, platform shoes, playing straight-UP funk…and he was killin’ it! Then he would put on a suit, sit down at a Steinway piano, and play classical music. He had it all going on!”

Transitioning from acoustic jazz to funk and pop led many critics to question Lewis’ integrity. Webb called such reactions ridiculous, stating that his expansive, eclectic musical muscles actually introduced more listeners to straight-ahead jazz.

“People might have gotten into Ramsey by way of ‘Sun Goddess’ or “The ‘In’ Crowd,’ and he would play those songs,” Webb explained. “But then he would play ‘Willow Weep for Me’ or ‘Stella by Starlight.’ He would also play gospel music and have a spiritual medley in the middle of the show, so people were always getting exposed to a broad spectrum of Black music.”