Ramsey Lewis, drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young formed the … Read Full Bio ↴Ramsey Lewis, drummer Isaac "Redd" Holt and bassist Eldee Young formed the Ramsey Lewis Trio. They started as primarily a jazz unit but after their hit, "The In Crowd", in 1965 (the single reached fifth place on the pop charts, and the album second place) the trio concentrated more and more on pop material. Young and Holt left in 1966 to form the Young-Holt Trio and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. White was replaced by Maurice Jennings in 1970. In the late 1970s an additional keyboard player was frequently added to the lineup. A contemporary version of "The In Crowd" was recorded for Lewis' 2004 album, Time Flies.

Ramsey Lewis has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.

His recent "With One Voice" release pays homage to his gospel roots all while maintaining his classic style. With the help of gospel favorites Smokie Norful, Darius Brooks, and Donald Lawrence, Lewis delivers an emotion-packed, soul-stirring, album. Lewis also enlisted the help of his church's choir, pastored by his older sister, to sing on several of the album's tracks. The J.W. James Memorial A.M.E. Church Combined Choir is breath-taking, adding so much life, freedom, and hope to "With One Voice". The CD's first single, "Pass Me Not" can be heard on Chicago's WGCI 107.5.

In addition to recording and performing, he is / has been a radio host on Chicago's Smooth Jazz station, WNUA (95.5 FM). His syndicated show Legends of Jazz, featuring classic jazz recordings from artists such as Charlie Parker and Miles Davis), can be heard in 60 cities in the United States and other countries as well. His most recent venture, the Legends of Jazz television series on PBS, was first aired in April 2006.

As of 2005 he has been hosting a radio show called Legends of Jazz for London's Smooth FM (previously Jazz FM).

On December 4, 2006, the Ramsey Lewis Morning Show will become a part of Broadcast Architecture's Smooth Jazz Network, simulcasting on other Smooth Jazz stations across the country for the first time. However, the show will still be based in Chicago, as it has always been.

Manha De Carnaval
The Ramsey Lewis Trio Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Caminar sin ella,
Es ir sin rumbo fijo
Refugiarse como un niño
En los brazos de la soledad

Regresar sin ella es
Tan delirante,
Tan nocivo tan frustrante

Que a la casa no quiero llegar

Es como tener las manos
Llenas de ella
De sus risa, sus caderas
Y saber que ella no esta
Es como sentarse a deshojar estrellas
Bajo una luna nueva
A través del ventanal

Vivir sin ella es estar
Encadenado a ese cuerpo
Que yo amo, es temerle a la soledad
Vivir sin ella es rendirse a cada instante
Es caer, es levantarse y de por ella comenzar

Esto no es normal
Es querer volar
A donde ella esta

Esto no es normal
Es querer volar
A donde ella esta

La noche sin ella es
Un trago amargo
Es mirar el calendario
Es llorar, amigos es llorar
Es como tener las manos
Llenas de ella
De sus manos, sus caderas
Y saber que ella no esta
Es como sentarse a deshojar estrellas
Bajo una luna nueva
A través del ventanal

Vivir sin ella es estar
Encadenado a ese cuerpo
Que yo amo, es temerle a la soledad
Vivir sin ella es rendirse a cada instante
Es caer, es levantarse y de por ella comenzar

Vivir sin ella es estar
Encadenado a ese cuerpo
Que yo amo, es temerle a la soledad
Vivir sin ella es rendirse a cada instante
Es caer, es levantarse y de por ella comenzar

Vivir sin ella es estar
Encadenado a ese cuerpo

Yo no se lo que es vivir sin ella
Yo no se lo que es vivir
Con mi soledad que ahoga

Yo no se lo que es vivir sin ella
Yo no se lo que es vivir
Y se me hacen mas largas las horas
Sin su presencia

Yo no se lo que es vivir sin ella
Yo no se lo que es vivir
Todo me recuerda a ella
Esa canción de la radio
La foto sobre la mesa

Yo no se lo que es vivir sin ella
Yo no se lo que es vivir

Me domina la tristeza
Si no esta ella

Overall Meaning

The Ramsey Lewis Trio's song Manha de Carnaval, translated as "Morning of Carnival," is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful portrayal of the pain and desperation that comes with living without the one you love. In the first verse, the singer describes the feeling of aimlessness and loneliness that comes from walking without the person he longs for. He likens it to being a child seeking comfort in the arms of solitude. The second verse goes on to describe the delirium and frustration that comes with returning home without his beloved. It's as if he's carrying her with him, feeling every curve of her body and every sound of her laughter, but still emptily knowing that she's not really there.

The chorus is a cry of desperation, expressing the urgent desire to fly to her, and the rest of the lyrics continue with a description of the agony of living without her. He feels as if he's chained to her body, and the thought of facing loneliness fills him with terror. Living without her means surrendering to every moment, falling and getting up again and again, always fighting and starting anew just for her presence. The final verse is a desperate cry, admitting that he doesn't even know what living without her really means, as every moment is consumed by her absence. The song is a powerful testament to the importance of love and companionship in human life, a reminder of the depths of sorrow that can come when that love is taken away.

Line by Line Meaning

Caminar sin ella,
Walking without her is like wandering aimlessly

Es ir sin rumbo fijo
It's going without a clear direction

Refugiarse como un niño
Taking refuge like a child

En los brazos de la soledad
In the arms of loneliness

Regresar sin ella es
Returning without her is

Tan delirante,
So insane

Tan nocivo tan frustrante
So harmful and frustrating

Que a la casa no quiero llegar
That I don't want to go home

Es como tener las manos
It's like having hands

Llenas de ella
Full of her

De sus risa, sus caderas
Of her laughter, her hips