Funky Serenity is an album by the pianist Ramsey Lewis, released in 1973 on Columbia Records. The album got to No. 6 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.[1]
| Funky Serenity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 30, 1973 | |||
| Recorded | October 1972 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 48:07 | |||
| Label | Columbia KC 32030 | |||
| Producer | Ramsey Lewis | |||
| Ramsey Lewis chronology | ||||
| ||||
Samples
edit"Dreams" was sampled by A Tribe Called Quest on the song "Electric Relaxation", from their 1993 LP Midnight Marauders. Beck also sampled "My Love For You" on the song "Debra."[2][3]
"My Love For You" was also sampled by Musiq Soulchild on the track "Girl Next Door." What's more, Lewis' rendition of Luther Ingram's "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" was sampled by The Fugees on "Fu-Gee-La."[3][4]
Producer Kanye West also sampled Lewis' cover of The Stylistics' "Betcha by Golly, Wow" for the Mariah Carey song "Stay the Night" on her 2005 LP The Emancipation of Mimi.[5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [7] |
Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic called the album "enjoyable and essential".[6]
Track listing
editAll compositions by Cleveland Eaton, Morris Jennings and Ramsey Lewis except as indicated
- "Kufanya Mapenzi (Making Love)" (Eddie Green) - 5:17
- "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" (Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, Raymond Jackson) - 5:24
- "What It Is!" - 2:41
- "My Love for You" (Green) - 5:14
- "Nights in White Satin" (Justin Hayward) - 5:36
- "Serene Funk" - 4:11
- "Dreams" - 9:39
- "Betcha by Golly, Wow" (Thom Bell, Linda Creed) - 5:09
- "Where Is the Love" (Ralph MacDonald, William Salter) - 4:56
Personnel
edit- Ramsey Lewis - piano, electric piano, harpsichord
- Cleveland Eaton - bass, electric bass, percussion
- Morris Jennings - drums, congas, percussion
- Ed Green - percussion, violin
References
edit- ^ Billboard Best Selling Jazz LPs. Vol. 85. Billboard Magazine. June 2, 1973. p. 13.
- ^ "Ramsey Lewis – Dreams", genius.com, retrieved 2023-12-12
- ^ a b "Ramsey Lewis – My Love For You", genius.com, retrieved 2023-12-12
- ^ "Ramsey Lewis – If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want to Be Right", genius.com, retrieved 2023-12-12
- ^ "Ramsey Lewis – Betcha By Golly Wow!", genius.com, retrieved 2023-12-12
- ^ a b Hamilton, Andrew. "Ramsey Lewis: Funky Serenity". allmusic.com. Allmusic.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 888. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.