Urban Knights

Urban Knights arose as a star-studded ensemble led by pianist Ramsey Lewis, delivering funky crossover jazz that channels the sound of his own 1970s and 1980s releases alongside the style of groups such as the Blackbyrds and the Jazz Crusaders. Anchored by Lewis, the collective has released multiple entries that reached the Top 20 on Billboard’s jazz albums tally, among them 1995’s Urban Knights I, 2001’s Urban Knights IV, and 2005’s Urban Knights V.

The project took shape in 1995 as a platform for Lewis and an ever-changing roster of invited players. Its first recording, Urban Knights I, appeared that year on GRP with production handled by Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White; the sessions brought together Lewis with Grover Washington, Jr., Omar Hakim, Freddie Hubbard, and additional notables, and the finished album climbed to number five on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. Urban Knights II arrived two years afterward, once more pairing Lewis with White behind the boards and adding the pianist’s son, keyboardist Frayne Lewis, to the fold; the set reached number seven on the jazz chart while spotlighting guest contributions from Gerald Albright, Najee, Jonathan Butler, and others.

For 2000’s Urban Knights III, Lewis shifted the outfit to Narada Records and assembled a core of Chicago-based musicians that included son Frayne Lewis, keyboardist Kevin Randolph, bassist Sharay Reed, drummer Calvin Rogers, and percussionist Alejo Poveda. The album also featured the all-female vocal group the Staples (cousins of the famed Staple Singers), saxophonist Dave Koz, and guitarists Earl Klugh and Fareed Haque, ultimately peaking at number four on the jazz charts. Lewis and company resurfaced the following year with Urban Knights IV, which welcomed trumpeter Ron Haynes, a onetime Donald Byrd protégé, plus guitarist Norman Brown as a guest; showcasing a funky sound reminiscent of Donald Byrd’s Blackbyrds group, the release rose to number two on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.

With 2002’s The Chicago Project, Lewis withdrew from day-to-day leadership and passed direction to his son, keyboardist and producer Frayne Lewis; the lineup retained trumpeter Haynes, bassist Reed, guitarist Haque, and keyboardist Randolph. The elder Lewis rejoined the ensemble the next year for Urban Knights V, which included appearances by saxophonist Kenny Garrett, vocalist Michelle Williams, and trumpeter Orbert Davis. He remained involved for 2005’s Urban Knights VI, serving as executive producer and performing on several tracks alongside keyboardist Randolph, noted Chicago guitarist Bobby Broom, bassist Maurice Fitzgerald, drummer Quinjuan Anderson, and saxophonist Nick Bisesi; that album reached number six on the Billboard jazz chart. After a long hiatus from the project, Lewis assembled a fresh Urban Knights configuration for 2019’s Urban Knights VII, recruiting guitarist Henry Johnson, keyboardist Tim Gant, bassist Joshua Ramos, and drummer Charles Heath, along with vocalist Dee Alexander and trumpeter Maurice Brown; the album mixed original material with reworkings of classic songs by John Coltrane, Chick Corea, and the Beatles.